§§§§$%\-~¨ ¨~-\%$§§§§
§§%\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\%§§
#§%\\~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~\\%§#
###§$%\-~¨ ¨~-\%$§###
###§$%\-~¨ ¨~-\%$§###
#§$%%%\-~¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨~-\%%%$§#
§§§%\\~¨¨¨ 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. ¨~-\%$§###
###§$%\-~¨ ¨~-\%$§###
#$$%-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-%$$#
#$\-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-\$#
##§$\---~¨ ¨~---\$§##
§§$$\-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-\$$§§