....:†@@§#                                          #§@@†:....
.:~†*@§@##                                          ##@§@*†~:.
......~†@§                                          §@†~......
.:~†*@§@##                                          ##@§@*†~:.
.:~†*@@###                                          ###@@*†~:.
.:~†*@§@@# 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.              ##@§@*†~:.
.....~*§@#                                          #@§*~.....
.:~†***@@§                                          §@@***†~:.
....:†@@§@                                          @§@@†:....
.:~†*@§@@@                                          @@@§@*†~:.
...~~**@§§                                          §§@**~~...