¨:~†^%¤### ###¤%^†~:¨
¨¨:~†^%¤## ##¤%^†~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~†^%¤# #¤%^†~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~†^%¤## ##¤%^†~:¨¨
¨:~†^%¤### ###¤%^†~:¨
¨¨:~†^%¤## 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. ##¤%^†~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~†^%¤# #¤%^†~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~†^%¤## ##¤%^†~:¨¨
¨:~†^%¤### ###¤%^†~:¨
¨¨:~†^%¤## ##¤%^†~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~†^%¤# #¤%^†~:¨¨¨