####£%\=.. ..=\%£####
##@#£%\=.. ..=\%£#@##
@#£\\===.. ..===\\£#@
@#%\...... ......\%#@
##@#£%\=.. ..=\%£#@##
##@#£%\=.. 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. ..=\%£#@##
##££%=.... ....=%££##
@£\=...... ......=\£@
##@#£%\=.. ..=\%£#@##
##%\=..... .....=\%##
##@#£%\=.. ..=\%£#@##