&&¨¨¨&&&&¨ ¨&&¨¨&&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨¨&& &¨&¨&¨&¨¨&
&&¨&&¨¨&¨& &&&&&&&¨&&
¨&&¨&¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨
&¨&&&&¨¨&& ¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨
&&¨¨¨&¨&¨& 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. &¨¨&&&&&&&
¨¨&&¨¨&¨&¨ &¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨&¨&¨&&&&¨ &&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&&&&¨¨¨&& ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨& ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨&&¨&&&& &¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&