=:........ ........:=
:......... .........:
=:........ ........:=
:=:....... .......:=:
*:=:...... ......:=:*
&*:=:..... 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. .........:
=:........ ........:=
:=:....... .......:=:
*:=:...... ......:=:*
&*:=:..... .....:=:*&
£&*:=:.... ....:=:*&£