¨¨¨¨¨^=;§* *§;=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=;§*& &*§;=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^=;§*&@ @&*§;=^¨¨¨
¨¨^=;§*&@# #@&*§;=^¨¨
¨^=;§*&@## ##@&*§;=^¨
¨¨^=;§*&@# 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. &*§;=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^=;§*&@ @&*§;=^¨¨¨
¨¨^=;§*&@# #@&*§;=^¨¨
¨^=;§*&@## ##@&*§;=^¨
¨¨^=;§*&@# #@&*§;=^¨¨
¨¨¨^=;§*&@ @&*§;=^¨¨¨