,:~~;;§§## ##§§;;~~:,
,:~;§§&### ###&§§;~:,
,,,,,,,~§& &§~,,,,,,,
,:~;§§&### ###&§§;~:,
,,,,,~;§§& &§§;~,,,,,
,:~;§&#### 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. &§§§§§;~:,
,,,,,,~~§& &§~~,,,,,,
,,,,,:~§&& &&§~:,,,,,
,,,,,,~~§& &§~~,,,,,,
,,,:~;§§&# #&§§;~:,,,
,:~;§§#### ####§§;~:,