#£££$†~:.. ..:~†$£££#
£££$†~:... ...:~†$£££
££$†~:.... ....:~†$££
£$†~:..... .....:~†$£
$†~:...... ......:~†$
†~:....... 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. ..........
.......... ..........
:......... .........:
~:........ ........:~
†~:....... .......:~†
$†~:...... ......:~†$