..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..
.~»/%@£###                                          ###£@%/»~.
..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..
...~»/%@£#                                          #£@%/»~...
..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..
.~»/%@£### 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.               ###£@%/»~.
..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..
...~»/%@£#                                          #£@%/»~...
..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..
.~»/%@£###                                          ###£@%/»~.
..~»/%@£##                                          ##£@%/»~..