¨¨¨¨¨./$@@ @@$/.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«$££ ££$«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«/$£@££@ @££@£$/«.¨
¨.«/$£@£@# #@£@£$/«.¨
¨.«/$£@£@# #@£@£$/«.¨
¨.«/$£@@@@ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony @@@@£$/«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨«/$@£ ground with no hints of vegetation. £@$/«¨¨¨¨¨
¨...«$$$@@ @@$$$«...¨
¨.«/$£@£@# below the surface are the mines, #@£@£$/«.¨
¨.«/$@£@## spiraling down into the crust. small ##@£@$/«.¨
¨.«/$£@@£@ compared to the caverns they eventually @£@@£$/«.¨
¨¨¨..//£@£ 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. ##@£@£/«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./$@ @$/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«/$£@ @£$/«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨..//$£££ £££$//..¨¨
¨.«/$£@£@# #@£@£$/«.¨
¨.«/$@£@## ##@£@$/«.¨