....^:§@##                                          ##@§:^....
...^:§@###                                          ###@§:^...
..^:§@####                                          ####@§:^..
.^:§@#####                                          #####@§:^.
..^:§@####                                          ####@§:^..
...^:§@### 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.               ###@§:^...
..^:§@####                                          ####@§:^..
.^:§@#####                                          #####@§:^.
..^:§@####                                          ####@§:^..
...^:§@###                                          ###@§:^...
....^:§@##                                          ##@§:^....