#¨###¨#¨¨#                                          ¨#¨¨¨¨#¨#¨
#¨¨##¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨¨##¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨##¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨ 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.              ¨#¨##¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨##¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨##¨#¨#¨
#¨#¨#¨#¨#¨                                          ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨