¨¨¨¨,\\@¤# #¤@\\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨
¨,,--††@@¤ ¤@@††--,,¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨
¨,-\†@¤@## 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. ¤¤¤@\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨
¨¨¨,-\@@@¤ ¤@@@\-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-†¤ ¤†-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨
¨,-\†@¤@## ##@¤@†\-,¨