¨¨¨¨~~;*$¤ ¤$*;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~;*$¤# #¤$*;~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~;*$¤## ##¤$*;~~¨¨
¨~~;*$¤### ###¤$*;~~¨
¨¨~~;*$¤## ##¤$*;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;*$¤# gray skies, swirling with soot. stony #¤$*;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;*$¤ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¤$*;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;*$ $*;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;*$¤ 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. #¤$*;~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~;*$¤## ##¤$*;~~¨¨
¨~~;*$¤### ###¤$*;~~¨
¨¨~~;*$¤## ##¤$*;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;*$¤# #¤$*;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;*$¤ ¤$*;~~¨¨¨¨