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