,-~*%¤#@## ##@#¤%*~-,
,,---*¤¤@# #@¤¤*---,,
,,,,-**¤¤# #¤¤**-,,,,
,-~*%¤#@## ##@#¤%*~-,
,,,,,-*¤#@ @#¤*-,,,,,
,-~*%¤#@## 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. @#%~,,,,,,
,-~*%¤#@## ##@#¤%*~-,
,,,,~*%%¤@ @¤%%*~,,,,
,,---~*%¤@ @¤%*~---,,
,-~*%%%¤¤@ @¤¤%%%*~-,
,-~*%¤#### ####¤%*~-,