.....~=@§¶ ¶§@=~.....
...~~~=@@¶ ¶@@=~~~...
.~~=%@§¶## ##¶§@%=~~.
.....~~=%§ §%=~~.....
.~~=%§¶### ###¶§%=~~.
.....~~%@§ 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. ##¶§@%=~~.
.~~=%@§¶## ##¶§@%=~~.
.~~=%@§§¶# #¶§§@%=~~.
.~~=%@§¶## ##¶§@%=~~.
.~~=%@§¶## ##¶§@%=~~.
......~~%§ §%~~......