###£#†^»^, ,^»^†#£###
####@†^»^, ,^»^†@####
#†»^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^»†#
##@@^^^,,, ,,,^^^@@##
##£#@†^»^, ,^»^†@#£##
#†^»,,,,,, gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,,,,,,»^†#
##£#@†^»^, ground with no hints of vegetation. ,^»^†@#£##
#††^^^^»^, ,^»^^^^††#
££#@†»^,,, below the surface are the mines, ,,,^»†@#££
##£#@†^»^, spiraling down into the crust. small ,^»^†@#£##
##£#@†^»^, compared to the caverns they eventually ,^»^†@#£##
£@^^»,,,,, reach and join with. the temperature is ,,,,,»^^@£
#†»»^,,,,, higher down here, and the view is not ,,,,,^»»†#
#†»^,,,,,, as monochrome: a green light beckons ,,,,,,^»†#
££@@@†^»^, from below. ,^»^†@@@££
##£#@†^»^, ,^»^†@#£##
#@^^^^^^,, long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ,,^^^^^^@#
##††»»,,,, the center of the planetoid, something ,,,,»»††##
###£#†^»^, dormant, waiting for a collision with ,^»^†#£###
##£#@†^»^, another body. but no planet was ,^»^†@#£##
#@††††^»^, reached, and over time, the seedling ,^»^††††@#
###†^^»,,, became a sludge. ,,,»^^†###
##£#@†^»^, ,^»^†@#£##
###††^»»^, and elves came as miners, and the ,^»»^††###
##††»^,,,, sludge was bottled. ,,,,^»††##
#@†^^,,,,, ,,,,,^^†@#
#@†^»^^,,, ######################################## ,,,^^»^†@#
##£#@†^»^, # # ,^»^†@#£##
£@^»,,,,,, # #################################### # ,,,,,,»^@£
###£#@^»^, # # # # ,^»^@#£###
##£#@†^»^, # # #££#†#††††††††††††††††††††#†#££# # # ,^»^†@#£##
####@†^»^, £ # # # # £ ,^»^†@####
#@†»»»,,,, £ # # the cargo ship is filled, # # £ ,,,,»»»†@#
#£#@†»^,,, @ # £ prepared for launch, £ # @ ,,,^»†@#£#
##£#@†^»^, † £ £ ignition sequence started £ £ † ,^»^†@#£##
###£#@†^»^ ^ # £ hours ago. elves in the £ # ^ ^»^†@#£###
##†»»^,,,, ^ † # passenger cabin, not yet # † ^ ,,,,^»»†##
###£#†^»^, » ^ # seated. but something is # ^ » ,^»^†#£###
£#†^^^^,,, » » @ wrong. there is something @ » » ,,,^^^^†#£
#£##@†^»^, ^ ^ † green around their mouths. † ^ ^ ,^»^†@##£#
#@†»»^,,,, ^ ^ ^ the sludge has been sampled, ^ ^ ^ ,,,,^»»†@#
##£#@†^»^, ^ ^ » entertained, and then » ^ ^ ,^»^†@#£##
##£#@†^»^, ^ ^ ^ finally binged on. ^ ^ ^ ,^»^†@#£##
£@†^»,,,,, , , , , , , ,,,,,»^†@£
##@†^^^»^, , , , the engines are burning hot, , , , ,^»^^^†@##
###£#@†^», and the ship accelerates ,»^†@#£###
£#†^»^,,,, away. the elves have ,,,,^»^†#£
##£#@†^»^, strapped themselves in, and ,^»^†@#£##
£@^^^,,,,, are lying completely still, ,,,,,^^^@£
###£#†^»^, like corpses. ,^»^†#£###
##£#@†^»^, ,^»^†@#£##
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#@^^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^^@#
#@@@@†^»^, ,^»^†@@@@#
##@^^»^,,, ,,,^»^^@##