##¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶##
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
##$%%%\«~¨ ¨~«\%%%$##
#$%%%«~~~¨ ¨~~~«%%%$#
##@#$%\«~¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨~«\%$#@##
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨~«\%$#¶@#
@@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@@
#@¶#$%\«~¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨~«\%$#¶@#
##¶#$%\«~¨ spiraling down into the crust. small ¨~«\%$#¶##
#$%«~~~¨¨¨ compared to the caverns they eventually ¨¨¨~~~«%$#
#$$$$%\«~¨ reach and join with. the temperature is ¨~«\%$$$$#
#@¶#$%\«~¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨~«\%$#¶@#
¶#$%\~¨¨¨¨ as monochrome: a green light beckons ¨¨¨¨~\%$#¶
@@¶#$%\«~¨ from below. ¨~«\%$#¶@@
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
#@¶#$%\«~¨ long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ¨~«\%$#¶@#
##%%««~¨¨¨ the center of the planetoid, something ¨¨¨~««%%##
@#$\«¨¨¨¨¨ dormant, waiting for a collision with ¨¨¨¨¨«\$#@
@#%%\«««~¨ another body. but no planet was ¨~«««\%%#@
##@¶#$%«~¨ reached, and over time, the seedling ¨~«%$#¶@##
@¶¶#$%\«~¨ became a sludge. ¨~«\%$#¶¶@
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
#@¶#$%\«~¨ and elves came as miners, and the ¨~«\%$#¶@#
@¶##$%\«~¨ sludge was bottled. ¨~«\%$##¶@
@##%«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«%##@
@¶#$%\~¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨~\%$#¶@
@@¶#$%\«~¨ # # ¨~«\%$#¶@@
#$\«~¨¨¨¨¨ # #@#@@@#@####################@#@@@#@# # ¨¨¨¨¨~«\$#
#$\~¨¨¨¨¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨¨¨¨¨~\$#
#@¶#$%\«~¨ @ @ @¶¶#%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#%#¶¶@ @ @ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
##¶#$%\«~¨ ¶ @ @ @ @ ¶ ¨~«\%$#¶##
¶$%\\\\«~¨ ¶ @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ ¶ ¨~«\\\\%$¶
#$$$%«««~¨ $ @ ¶ 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. ¨¨¨¨~~\$$#
##¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶##
@@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@@
#@¶#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#¶@#
@#$\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\$#@
##@#$%\«~¨ ¨~«\%$#@##