,,,,,,,,~- -~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,