...,=/*@@@ @@@*/=,...
..,=/*@@@# #@@@*/=,..
.,=/*@@@## ##@@@*/=,.
..,=/*@@@# #@@@*/=,..
...,=/*@@@ @@@*/=,...
....,=/*@@ 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. #@@@*/=,..
.,=/*@@@## ##@@@*/=,.
..,=/*@@@# #@@@*/=,..
...,=/*@@@ @@@*/=,...
....,=/*@@ @@*/=,....
.....,=/*@ @*/=,.....