¨^~†*%@@@¶                                          ¶@@@%*†~^¨
¨^~†**%%%@                                          @%%%**†~^¨
¨¨^^†**%¶¶                                          ¶¶%**†^^¨¨
¨^~†*%@¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶@%*†~^¨
¨^~†*%@¶@#                                          #@¶@%*†~^¨
¨¨¨^^~~*@@ 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.               @%%%*†~¨¨¨
¨^~†*%@@@@                                          @@@@%*†~^¨
¨^~†*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*†~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~††%¶                                          ¶%††~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~†%@¶@##                                          ##@¶@%†~^¨
¨^~†*%@¶¶@                                          @¶¶@%*†~^¨