@.@.@.@@.. @..@..@..@
@.....@@@. .@..@..@.@
@@....@.@@ ..@..@...@
.@@.....@@ @..@..@..@
.@@@....@. .@..@..@..
.@.@@..... 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. ..@@@....@
.@@...@@@. ..@.@@...@
.@@@..@.@@ ....@@@...
.@.@@...@@ ....@.@@..
...@@@..@. @.....@@@.
...@.@@... @@....@.@@