,^~~~†££@#                                          #@££†~~~^,
,^~†^£@£##                                          ##£@£^†~^,
,^~†^£@£##                                          ##£@£^†~^,
,^~†^£@£##                                          ##£@£^†~^,
,,,^†^^@££                                          ££@^^†^,,,
,^~†^£@£## 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.              ###£@^†~^,
,^~†^£@###                                          ###@£^†~^,
,,,^†^£££@                                          @£££^†^,,,
,^~†^£@@@#                                          #@@@£^†~^,
,^~†^£@###                                          ###@£^†~^,
,,,,,,~^££                                          ££^~,,,,,,