,,««†§§&@@                                          @@&§§†««,,
,,,«†††&@@                                          @@&†††«,,,
,,«†§&@@##                                          ##@@&§†«,,
,,,,,,«§&@                                          @&§«,,,,,,
,,«†§&@@##                                          ##@@&§†«,,
,,,«††§&@@ 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.              ###@&§†«,,
,,«†§&@@##                                          ##@@&§†«,,
,,,,,,«§§@                                          @§§«,,,,,,
,,«««§§§@#                                          #@§§§«««,,
,,«†§&@@##                                          ##@@&§†«,,
,,,,,«§&@@                                          @@&§«,,,,,