**†»,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,»†**
#**†»,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,»†**#
£#**†»,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,»†**#£
#£#**†»,¨¨                                          ¨¨,»†**#£#
##£#**†»,¨                                          ¨,»†**#£##
#£#**†»,¨¨ 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.               ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
†»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»†
*†»,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»†*
**†»,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,»†**
#**†»,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,»†**#
£#**†»,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,»†**#£