¨~-%$&#@##                                          ##@#&$%-~¨
¨¨~-%$&#@#                                          #@#&$%-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-%$&#@                                          @#&$%-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-%$&#                                          #&$%-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-%$&                                          &$%-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-%$ 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.               #@#&$%-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-%$&#@                                          @#&$%-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-%$&#                                          #&$%-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-%$&                                          &$%-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-%$                                          $%-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-%                                          %-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨