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