,,,,~«=*£#                                          #£*=«~,,,,
,,,,,~«=*£                                          £*=«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«=*                                          *=«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«=                                          =«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«=*                                          *=«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«=*£ 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.              £*=«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«=*                                          *=«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«=                                          =«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«=*                                          *=«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«=*£                                          £*=«~,,,,,
,,,,~«=*£#                                          #£*=«~,,,,