##@&@§*~^. .^~*§@&@##
##@&@§*~^. .^~*§@&@##
@&&&@§*~^. .^~*§@&&&@
&§~^...... ......^~§&
&&&@@§*~^. .^~*§@@&&&
@@§*^..... 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. .^~*§@&@##
##@&@§*~^. .^~*§@&@##
##@&@§*~^. .^~*§@&@##
@@§~~^.... ....^~~§@@
&@§~...... ......~§@&
##@&@§*~^. .^~*§@&@##