##@§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§@##
#§@@^»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»^@@§#
§§@^^»»»~¨ ¨~»»»^^@§§
§§*»»~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~»»*§§
@##§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§##@
##@#@*^»~¨ 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. ¨~»^*@§#@#
@@#§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§#@@
#@#§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§#@#
§§§§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§§§§
#§*^~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~^*§#
#@#§@*^»~¨ ¨~»^*@§#@#