..@@@..... .@@..@.@@.
..@.@@.... .@@@...@@@
@...@@@... .@.@@..@.@
@@..@.@@.. ...@@@...@
.@@...@@@. ...@.@@..@
.@@@..@.@@ 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. @@......@.
@@@..@.@@. @@@.......
@.@@...@@@ @.@@......
..@@@..@.@ ..@@@.....
..@.@@...@ ..@.@@....
....@@@..@ @...@@@...