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