##@¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤@##
##@¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤@##
¤†**:::... ...:::**†¤
##@¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤@##
###¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤###
##@¤*†*«:. 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. .:«*†*¤@##
##@¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤@##
###¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤###
#@**:..... .....:**@#
##@¤*†*«:. .:«*†*¤@##
#¤†«««.... ....«««†¤#