.,~:=£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£=:~,.
....,:=££§                                          §££=:,....
.,~~~==££¶                                          ¶££==~~~,.
.,~:=£§§¶@                                          @¶§§£=:~,.
.,~:=£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£=:~,.
......~=£¶ 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.           #@¶§£=:~,.
.,~:=£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£=:~,.
.,~:=£§¶@# ######################################## #@¶§£=:~,.
.,~:=£§¶@# #                                      # #@¶§£=:~,.
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.....~=£¶¶ @ @ @¶¶§=§====================§=§¶¶@ @ @ ¶¶£=~.....
....,~==£¶ ¶ @ @                              @ @ ¶ ¶£==~,....
.,~:=£££§§ ¶ @ @   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.               §£==~~~~,.
.,~:=£§§§@                                          @§§§£=:~,.
......,~=§                                          §=~,......
.,~:=£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£=:~,.
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...,,:=££¶                                          ¶££=:,,...