#@#&¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤&#@#
##&^/^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^/^&##
#&¤^/=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=/^¤&#
@@#&¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤&#@@
@#&¤/==^¨¨ ¨¨^==/¤&#@
#¤¤///=^¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨==/¤¤&#
#@#&¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤&#@#
#&&^=^^^¨¨ ¨¨^^^=^&&#
#@#&¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤&#@#
@#¤¤¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤¤¤#@
##&&¤^/=^¨ ¨^=/^¤&&##