.~~†*§¤£££ £££¤§*†~~.
.~~†*§¤### ###¤§*†~~.
.~~†*§¤£## ##£¤§*†~~.
....~~~~*¤ ¤*~~~~....
......~*¤£ £¤*~......
......~~*¤ 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. ££§§§*†~~.
...~††§¤¤£ £¤¤§††~...
.~~†††**§¤ ¤§**†††~~.
.......~*¤ ¤*~.......
.~~†*§£### ###£§*†~~.
.~~†*§¤£££ £££¤§*†~~.