#@£*§\»,,, ,,,»\§*£@#
##@£*§\»,, ,,»\§*£@##
#@£*§\»,,, ,,,»\§*£@#
@£*§\»,,,, ,,,,»\§*£@
£*§\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\§*£
*§\»,,,,,, 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. ,,»\§*£@##
#@£*§\»,,, ,,,»\§*£@#
@£*§\»,,,, ,,,,»\§*£@
£*§\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\§*£
*§\»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»\§*
£*§\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\§*£