,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,
,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,
,,,«^^^££& &££^^^«,,,
,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,
,,,,,,«^&# #&^«,,,,,,
,,,,^^^££@ 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. ##@&£^^«,,
,,«^^£&@@@ @@@&£^^«,,
,,«^^^^£&& &&£^^^^«,,
,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,
,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,
,,«^^£&@## ##@&£^^«,,