¨.-/*$¤### ###¤$*/-.¨
¨.-/*$¤### ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨.-//$# #$//-.¨¨¨¨
¨.-/*$#### ####$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨¨./$$# #$$/.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.-//*$$$# gray skies, swirling with soot. stony #$$$*//-.¨
¨.-/*$#### ground with no hints of vegetation. ####$*/-.¨
¨.-/*¤#### ####¤*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨.../$# below the surface are the mines, #$/...¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨../$$# spiraling down into the crust. small #$$/..¨¨¨¨
¨¨.-///$## compared to the caverns they eventually ##$///-.¨¨
¨.-/*$¤### reach and join with. the temperature is ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨¨./*¤# 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 $ - - ###¤$*/-.¨
¨.-/**$$## . . * green around their mouths. * . . ##$$**/-.¨
¨.-/*$¤### . . / the sludge has been sampled, / . . ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨.-//$¤ . . - entertained, and then - . . ¤$//-.¨¨¨¨
¨.-/*$$$$# . . . finally binged on. . . . #$$$$*/-.¨
¨.-/*$¤### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###¤$*/-.¨
¨.-/*$¤### ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨¨-//$¤ and the ship accelerates ¤$//-¨¨¨¨¨
¨.-/*$¤### away. the elves have ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨./**¤# strapped themselves in, and #¤**/.¨¨¨¨
¨.-/*$¤### are lying completely still, ###¤$*/-.¨
¨.-/*$¤### like corpses. ###¤$*/-.¨
¨....-//$¤ ¤$//-....¨
¨.-/*$¤### ###¤$*/-.¨
¨¨¨¨¨../$¤ ¤$/..¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨./$$$# #$$$/.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨..-*$## ##$*-..¨¨¨