§&^=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=^&§
@§&^=~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~=^&§@
#@§&^=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=^&§@#
##@§&^=~:¨ ¨:~=^&§@##
#@§&^=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=^&§@#
@§&^=~:¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨:~=^&§@
#@§&^=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=^&§@#
##@§&^=~:¨ ¨:~=^&§@##
#@§&^=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=^&§@#
@§&^=~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~=^&§@
§&^=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=^&§