§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨§§
§§¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨¨§§¨¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§ 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.              §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨