##$$*\~... ...~\*$$##
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
¤$\\~~.... ....~~\\$¤
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. gray skies, swirling with soot. stony .~~\*$¤###
####¤$*\~. ground with no hints of vegetation. .~\*$¤####
##¤¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤¤##
###¤$*\~~. below the surface are the mines, .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. spiraling down into the crust. small .~~\*$¤###
##¤¤$*\~~. compared to the caverns they eventually .~~\*$¤¤##
##¤$$*\~~. reach and join with. the temperature is .~~\*$$¤##
##$$\\\~~. higher down here, and the view is not .~~\\\$$##
#¤*\\~~... as monochrome: a green light beckons ...~~\\*¤#
#¤$\~..... from below. .....~\$¤#
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. long ago, there was a lifeform here. in .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. the center of the planetoid, something .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. dormant, waiting for a collision with .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. another body. but no planet was .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. reached, and over time, the seedling .~~\*$¤###
####$*\~~. became a sludge. .~~\*$####
##¤***\~~. .~~\***¤##
¤*~~...... and elves came as miners, and the ......~~*¤
¤***~~.... sludge was bottled. ....~~***¤
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
#$\~~..... ######################################## .....~~\$#
#¤¤¤$*\~~. # # .~~\*$¤¤¤#
###¤$*\~~. # ######¤#¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤#¤###### # .~~\*$¤###
##$**\~... # # # # ...~\**$##
#¤¤*\~.... # # ###¤*¤********************¤*¤### # # ....~\*¤¤#
¤¤$\~..... # # # # # # .....~\$¤¤
¤*\~~..... # # # the cargo ship is filled, # # # .....~~\*¤
###¤$*\~~. $ # # prepared for launch, # # $ .~~\*$¤###
#¤¤¤$*\~~. * # # ignition sequence started # # * .~~\*$¤¤¤#
#¤¤$\\~~~. \ ¤ # hours ago. elves in the # ¤ \ .~~~\\$¤¤#
#¤¤$$*\~~. \ * ¤ 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. .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
#¤**\~~~.. ..~~~\**¤#
#¤¤$*\\~~. .~~\\*$¤¤#
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###
###¤$*\~~. .~~\*$¤###