,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,
,,-~^**&@# #@&**^~-,,
,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,
,,-~^**&@# #@&**^~-,,
,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,
,,-~^**&@# 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. #@&**^~-,,
,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,
,,-~^**&@# #@&**^~-,,
,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,
,,-~^**&@# #@&**^~-,,
,-~^**&@## ##@&**^~-,