¨:»**££¶## ##¶££**»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨»*££¶ ¶££*»¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»***££££ ££££***»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:**£ £**:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»**££¶## ##¶££**»:¨
¨:»**££¶@# 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. @¶£££**»:¨
¨¨:»»**£££ £££**»»:¨¨
¨¨¨¨:*£££¶ ¶£££*:¨¨¨¨
¨:»**££¶¶¶ ¶¶¶££**»:¨
¨:»**£££¶¶ ¶¶£££**»:¨
¨:»**££@## ##@££**»:¨