=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
/=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=/
=/=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=/=
£=/=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=/=£
@£=/=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=/=£@
#@£=/=^¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=/
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=