¤¤$$*~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~*$$¤¤
¤$$~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~$$¤
####$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$####
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨~~*$$¤###
¤¤¤¤$$*~~¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨~~*$$¤¤¤¤
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
##¤$**~¨¨¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨¨¨~**$¤##
#¤¤¤$$*~~¨ spiraling down into the crust. small ¨~~*$$¤¤¤#
##¤¤$$*~~¨ compared to the caverns they eventually ¨~~*$$¤¤##
#$$$*~¨¨¨¨ reach and join with. the temperature is ¨¨¨¨~*$$$#
###¤$$*~~¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨~~*$$¤###
¤$$$$~~¨¨¨ as monochrome: a green light beckons ¨¨¨~~$$$$¤
##$**~¨¨¨¨ from below. ¨¨¨¨~**$##
#¤$**~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~**$¤#
¤$$*~~~~¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨~~*$$¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ######################################## ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ # # ¨~~*$$¤###
####¤$*~~¨ # ######¤#¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤#¤###### # ¨~~*$¤####
¤$$$$~~~~¨ # # # # ¨~~~~$$$$¤
###¤$$*~~¨ # # ###¤$¤$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$¤$¤### # # ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ # # # # # # ¨~~*$$¤###
#¤$*~¨¨¨¨¨ # # # the cargo ship is filled, # # # ¨¨¨¨¨~*$¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ $ # # prepared for launch, # # $ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ $ # # ignition sequence started # # $ ¨~~*$$¤###
#¤$$$~¨¨¨¨ * ¤ # hours ago. elves in the # ¤ * ¨¨¨¨~$$$¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ * $ ¤ passenger cabin, not yet ¤ $ * ¨~~*$$¤###
#¤$*~~¨¨¨¨ ~ * ¤ seated. but something is ¤ * ~ ¨¨¨¨~~*$¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ ~ ~ $ wrong. there is something $ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ~ ~ $ green around their mouths. $ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ~ ~ * the sludge has been sampled, * ~ ~ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ entertained, and then ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ finally binged on. ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
####¤$$*~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~*$$¤####
#¤$$*~¨¨¨¨ and the ship accelerates ¨¨¨¨~*$$¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ away. the elves have ¨~~*$$¤###
#¤¤$~~¨¨¨¨ strapped themselves in, and ¨¨¨¨~~$¤¤#
###¤$$*~~¨ are lying completely still, ¨~~*$$¤###
###¤$$*~~¨ like corpses. ¨~~*$$¤###
¤¤¤¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤¤¤¤
#¤$$$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$$$¤#
¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤
###¤$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$¤###
#$$*~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~*$$#