§:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:§
§§:-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-:§§
#§§:-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-:§§#
##§§:-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-:§§##
###§§:-^¨¨ ¨¨^-:§§###
####§§:-^¨ 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. ¨^-:§§####
#####§§:-^ ^-:§§#####
####§§:-^¨ ¨^-:§§####
###§§:-^¨¨ ¨¨^-:§§###
##§§:-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-:§§##
#§§:-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-:§§#