&.&&&...&. .&.&&&..&.
..&.&&...& ...&.&&...
....&&&... .....&&&..
....&.&&.. &....&.&&.
......&&&. &&.....&&&
&.....&.&& 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. &&.....&.&
&&..&.&&.. &&&......&
.&&...&&&. &.&&.....&
.&&&..&.&& ..&&&.....
.&.&&...&& ..&.&&....
...&&&..&. ....&&&...