.--=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=--.
.--=*£####                                          ####£*=--.
.--=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=--.
.--=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=--.
......-=£#                                          #£=-......
.--=*£#### 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.               ##@#£*=--.
.--=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=--.
.----*££#@                                          @#££*----.
.--=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=--.
.....--*£#                                          #£*--.....
...-=*££#@                                          @#££*=-...