¨¨¨¨¨¨^:%# #%:^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:=%#¶@# #@¶#%=:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^~~=# #=~~^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:::==%¶ ¶%==:::~^¨
¨^~:=%#@## ##@#%=:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=# 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. @¶#=::^¨¨¨
¨^~::=%##@ @##%=::~^¨
¨^~:=%#@## ##@#%=:~^¨
¨¨¨^^^:%¶¶ ¶¶%:^^^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^::%# #%::^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:=%#¶@# #@¶#%=:~^¨