-,........ ........,-
/-,....... .......,-/
*/-,...... ......,-/*
%*/-,..... .....,-/*%
@%*/-,.... ....,-/*%@
@@%*/-,... 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. .......,-/
-,........ ........,-
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
,......... .........,
-,........ ........,-