.----:=¤## ##¤=:----.
.-~:=¤#£@@ @@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:=¤#£@# #@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:=¤#£@# #@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:=¤#@## ##@#¤=:~-.
.-~:=¤#£@@ 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. @£¤:-.....
.-~:=¤#£@@ @@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:==¤##£ £##¤==:~-.
.-~:=¤#£@# #@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:=¤#£@# #@£#¤=:~-.
.-~:====## ##====:~-.