##@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@##
##@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@##
##@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@##
#¤¤*«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«*¤¤#
#¤*=«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«=*¤#
@¤*«,¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨,«=*¤¤@##
@@@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@@@
¤***««««,¨ ¨,««««***¤
@@@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@@@
###¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤###
##@¤¤*=«,¨ ¨,«=*¤¤@##