..~†=$§¶##                                          ##¶§$=†~..
...~†=$§¶#                                          #¶§$=†~...
....~†=$§¶                                          ¶§$=†~....
.....~†=$§                                          §$=†~.....
......~†=$                                          $=†~......
.......~†= gray  skies, swirling with  soot.  stony =†~.......
........~† ground  with  no  hints  of  vegetation. †~........
.........~                                          ~.........
.......... below   the   surface  are   the  mines, ..........
.......... spiraling down  into  the  crust.  small ..........
.......... compared to  the caverns they eventually ..........
.........~ reach and  join with. the temperature is ~.........
........~† higher down  here,  and  the view is not †~........
.......~†= as  monochrome: a  green  light  beckons =†~.......
......~†=$                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, † . . $=†~......
.......~†= . . ~     entertained, and then    ~ . . =†~.......
........~† . . .      finally binged on.      . . . †~........
.........~ . . .                              . . . ~.........
.......... . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . ..........
..........         and the ship accelerates         ..........
..........           away. the elves have           ..........
.........~       strapped themselves in, and        ~.........
........~†       are lying completely still,        †~........
.......~†=               like corpses.              =†~.......
......~†=$                                          $=†~......
.....~†=$§                                          §$=†~.....
....~†=$§¶                                          ¶§$=†~....
...~†=$§¶#                                          #¶§$=†~...
..~†=$§¶##                                          ##¶§$=†~..