.......«†%                                          %†«.......
......«†%*                                          *%†«......
.....«†%*¶                                          ¶*%†«.....
....«†%*¶#                                          #¶*%†«....
...«†%*¶##                                          ##¶*%†«...
..«†%*¶### 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.              ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........«                                          «.........
........«†                                          †«........
.......«†%                                          %†«.......