#@#£$^/«..                                          ..«/^$£#@#
##££$^/«..                                          ..«/^$££##
@@#£$^/«..                                          ..«/^$£#@@
##@£$^/«..                                          ..«/^$£@##
###£$^/«..                                          ..«/^$£###
##@#$^/«.. gray  skies, swirling  with  soot. stony ..«/^$#@##
##$$$^/«.. ground  with  no  hints  of  vegetation. ..«/^$$$##
£$^//««...                                          ...««//^$£
@#£^//«... 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.               .....«^^£#
@#£^«.....                                          .....«^£#@
@£^^«.....                                          .....«^^£@
£$///.....                                          .....///$£
#£^^^«««..                                          ..«««^^^£#
£^««......                                          ......««^£