#@##%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%##@#
#@##%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%##@#
#@##%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%##@#
@###%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%###@
####%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%####
##††***«~¨ 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. ¨~«†%##@##
##††««¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨««††##
#@##%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%##@#
#%%†*«~~~¨ ¨~~~«*†%%#
##†*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*†##
#@##%†*«~¨ ¨~«*†%##@#