*=^....... .......^=*
%*=^...... ......^=*%
§%*=^..... .....^=*%§
£§%*=^.... ....^=*%§£
#£§%*=^... ...^=*%§£#
##£§%*=^.. 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. ..^=*%§£##
#£§%*=^... ...^=*%§£#
£§%*=^.... ....^=*%§£
§%*=^..... .....^=*%§
%*=^...... ......^=*%
*=^....... .......^=*