¨,=;%@§@## ##@§@%;=,¨
¨,=;%@§@## ##@§@%;=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=;@@@ @@@;=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,,,;@@ @@;,,,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=;@@§@ @§@@;=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,;@§ 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. §%;=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=;%@§@## ##@§@%;=,¨
¨¨¨,=%@@@# #@@@%=,¨¨¨
¨,=;%@§§@@ @@§§@%;=,¨
¨,=;%@§§§§ §§§§@%;=,¨
¨,=;%@§@@# #@@§@%;=,¨