¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨
¨¨-»*§#¶## ##¶#§*»-¨¨
¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨
¨¨-»*§#¶## ##¶#§*»-¨¨
¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨
¨¨-»*§#¶## 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. ##¶#§*»-¨¨
¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨
¨¨-»*§#¶## ##¶#§*»-¨¨
¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨
¨¨-»*§#¶## ##¶#§*»-¨¨
¨-»*§#¶### ###¶#§*»-¨