¤*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*¤
##@¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤@##
#¤*†~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~†*¤#
##@¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤@##
¤¤¤¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤¤¤¤
@¤¤¤§*†~~¨ 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 bindged on. ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨~~†§§¤
##@¤§*†~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~†*§¤@##
#@§§§*†~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~†*§§§@#
#@@¤§*†~~¨ and the ship accelerates ¨~~†*§¤@@#
###@§*†~~¨ away. the elves have ¨~~†*§@###
##@¤§*†~~¨ strapped themselves in, and ¨~~†*§¤@##
###¤§*†~~¨ are lying completely still, ¨~~†*§¤###
@@@¤§*†~~¨ like corpses. ¨~~†*§¤@@@
¤¤¤¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤¤¤¤
##@¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤@##
##@¤§*†~~¨ ¨~~†*§¤@##
@@§*~~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~~*§@@
#¤§*†~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~†*§¤#