¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ 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.               ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨