¨,»**@¤¤¤# #¤¤¤@**»,¨
¨,»**@¤@## ##@¤@**»,¨
¨,»****@¤# #¤@****»,¨
¨¨,,,***¤¤ ¤¤***,,,¨¨
¨,»**@¤@## ##@¤@**»,¨
¨,»**@¤@@@ 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. ##@¤@**»,¨
¨,»**@¤@@@ @@@¤@**»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨»»*¤@ @¤*»»¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨»»**¤ ¤**»»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»**@¤### ###¤@**»,¨
¨,»**@¤@## ##@¤@**»,¨