¨:«;§@@@## ##@@@§;«:¨
¨:«;§@@@@¶ ¶@@@@§;«:¨
¨¨¨¨«;;§§@ @§§;;«¨¨¨¨
¨:«;§@@@¶¶ ¶¶@@@§;«:¨
¨¨¨¨::;§@@ @@§;::¨¨¨¨
¨:«;§@@@@@ 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. #@¶@@§;«:¨
¨¨¨¨«;§@@@ @@@§;«¨¨¨¨
¨:«;§§§§@¶ ¶@§§§§;«:¨
¨:«;§@@¶@# #@¶@@§;«:¨
¨:«;§@@¶@# #@¶@@§;«:¨
¨¨¨::;;@@@ @@@;;::¨¨¨