##*$«..... .....«$*##
####*$\«.. ..«\$*####
####*$\«.. ..«\$*####
#*$\«..... .....«\$*#
##$$$«.... ....«$$$##
##$«...... gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ......«$##
#**$$$\«.. ground with no hints of vegetation. ..«\$$$**#
#*$«...... ......«$*#
####*$\«.. below the surface are the mines, ..«\$*####
####*$\«.. 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 ..«\$*####
####*$\«.. are lying completely still, ..«\$*####
#**\«..... like corpses. .....«\**#
##*\...... ......\*##
####*$\«.. ..«\$*####
###*$«.... ....«$*###
####*$\«.. ..«\$*####
####*$\«.. ..«\$*####