-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:
$:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:$
&$:-^¨¨¨¨¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨¨¨¨¨^-:$&
@&$:-^¨¨¨¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨¨¨¨^-:$&@
#@&$:-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-:$&@#
##@&$:-^¨¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨¨^-:$&@##
###@&$:-^¨ spiraling down into the crust. small ¨^-:$&@###
##@&$:-^¨¨ compared to the caverns they eventually ¨¨^-:$&@##
#@&$:-^¨¨¨ reach and join with. the temperature is ¨¨¨^-:$&@#
@&$:-^¨¨¨¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨¨¨¨^-:$&@
&$:-^¨¨¨¨¨ as monochrome: a green light beckons ¨¨¨¨¨^-:$&
$:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ from below. ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:$
:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:
$:-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-:$
&$:-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-:$&
@&$:-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-:$&@