##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##
#¶¤%†:~^.. ..^~:†%¤¶#
##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##
#¶¤%†:~^.. ..^~:†%¤¶#
##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##
#¶¤%†:~^.. 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. ..^~:†%¤¶#
##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##
#¶¤%†:~^.. ..^~:†%¤¶#
##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##
#¶¤%†:~^.. ..^~:†%¤¶#
##¶¤%†:~^. .^~:†%¤¶##