.,-†$$#@##                                          ##@#$$†-,.
.....--†$#                                          #$†--.....
.,-†$#£@##                                          ##@£#$†-,.
...-†††$$#                                          #$$†††-...
.....,††$#                                          #$††,.....
...,,,†$$# gray  skies,  swirling  with soot. stony #$$†,,,...
.,-†$$#@## ground  with  no  hints  of  vegetation. ##@#$$†-,.
.,-†$#£@##                                          ##@£#$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@# below   the   surface  are   the  mines, #@£#$$†-,.
...,†$$$## spiraling  down into  the  crust.  small ##$$$†,...
.,-†$$#£@@ compared to the caverns they  eventually @@£#$$†-,.
...,---$$£ reach and join with. the  temperature is £$$---,...
.,-†$$#£## higher down  here,  and the view is  not ##£#$$†-,.
.....,,†$# as monochrome:  a  green  light  beckons #$†,,.....
.,-†$$#@##               from below.                ##@#$$†-,.
.,-†$$####                                          ####$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@@ long  ago, there was a lifeform here. in @@£#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£££ the center of  the  planetoid, something £££#$$†-,.
.,-†$$$#££ dormant,  waiting  for  a collision with ££#$$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@@ another   body.   but   no  planet   was @@£#$$†-,.
.....,-$#£ reached,  and  over  time,  the seedling £#$-,.....
.....-$$£@             became a sludge.             @£$$-.....
.....,-$$#                                          #$$-,.....
.,-†$$$##@ and   elves  came  as  miners,  and  the @##$$$†-,.
.,-†$$#@##           sludge was bottled.            ##@#$$†-,.
...,†$$$$#                                          #$$$$†,...
.,-†$$#£@# ######################################## #@£#$$†-,.
.....,,†$£ #                                      # £$†,,.....
.,-†$$#£## # #@#@@@#@####################@#@@@#@# # ##£#$$†-,.
...,,-††$# # @                                  @ # #$††-,,...
.,-†$$#£@# @ @ @££#$#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$#$#££@ @ @ #@£#$$†-,.
....--$$$£ £ @ @                              @ @ £ £$$$--....
.,-†$$#££@ £ @ @   the cargo ship is filled,  @ @ £ @££#$$†-,.
...,--$$££ $ @ £      prepared for launch,    £ @ $ ££$$--,...
.,-†$$#£@@ $ £ £   ignition sequence started  £ £ $ @@£#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@# † # £    hours ago. elves in the   £ # † #@£#$$†-,.
.,-†$$£@## † $ #   passenger cabin, not yet   # $ † ##@£$$†-,.
.,-†$$#@## - † #   seated. but something is   # † - ##@#$$†-,.
.,-†$$£@## - - $   wrong. there is something  $ - - ##@£$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@# , , $   green around their mouths. $ , , #@£#$$†-,.
.....-††$# , , † the sludge has been sampled, † , , #$††-.....
.,-†$$#£££ , , -     entertained, and then    - , , £££#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@# , , ,      finally binged on.      , , , #@£#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#££@ . . .                              . . . @££#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£## . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . ##£#$$†-,.
.,-†$$#£@#         and the ship accelerates         #@£#$$†-,.
...,-†$#£@           away. the elves have           @£#$†-,...
.,--†$$$#£        strapped themselves in, and       £#$$$†--,.
......-$$#        are lying completely still,       #$$-......
..,,--$$#@               like corpses.              @#$$--,,..
.,-†$$#@##                                          ##@#$$†-,.
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