.,»»»»†%§#                                          #§%†»»»»,.
....,,†§§#                                          #§§†,,....
....,»§§##                                          ##§§»,....
.,»†§%§###                                          ###§%§†»,.
....»»§%§§                                          §§%§»»....
....,††§%# 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.               ###§%§†»,.
.......»§§                                          §§».......
......,†%§                                          §%†,......
.,»†§%§###                                          ###§%§†»,.
.,»†§%§###                                          ###§%§†»,.
....»§§§§§                                          §§§§§»....