¨¨,---§§%@ @%§§---,¨¨
¨,-/§%@@## ##@@%§/-,¨
¨,-/§%@@## ##@@%§/-,¨
¨,-/§%@@## ##@@%§/-,¨
¨,-/§%%%@@ @@%%%§/-,¨
¨,-/§%@@## 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. ##@@%§/-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-§@ @§-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-/§%@### ###@%§/-,¨
¨¨¨¨--§§%@ @%§§--¨¨¨¨
¨,-/§%@@@@ @@@@%§/-,¨
¨,-/§%@@@@ @@@@%§/-,¨