....«:§&&#                                          #&&§:«....
.:«:§&§#@#                                          #@#§&§:«:.
.:«:§&§#@#                                          #@#§&§:«:.
.:«:§§&&&§                                          §&&&§§:«:.
.:«««§&&##                                          ##&&§«««:.
.:«:§&§§§@ 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.               #@#§&§:«:.
......«:&#                                          #&:«......
.:«:§&§#@#                                          #@#§&§:«:.
.:«:§&§#@#                                          #@#§&§:«:.
.....«§§§@                                          @§§§«.....
.:«:§&§#@#                                          #@#§&§:«:.