¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,= =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=/ /=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=/^ ^/=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=/^£ £^/=,¨¨¨¨¨