¨.»;*$§¶## ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## ##¶§$*;».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.;*§ §*;.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.;*§§ §§*;.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»;*$$$$¶ ¶$$$$*;».¨
¨¨.»;**$¶¶ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¶¶$**;».¨¨
¨.»;*$§¶## ground with no hints of vegetation. ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§§§§ §§§§$*;».¨
¨.»;****§# below the surface are the mines, #§****;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶¶¶ spiraling down into the crust. small ¶¶¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## compared to the caverns they eventually ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶¶# reach and join with. the temperature is #¶¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## higher down here, and the view is not ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## as monochrome: a green light beckons ##¶§$*;».¨
¨¨..»»*§¶¶ from below. ¶¶§*»»..¨¨
¨.»;*$$$¶¶ ¶¶$$$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ##¶§$*;».¨
¨¨¨...;*$§ the center of the planetoid, something §$*;...¨¨¨
¨.»;*$§¶## dormant, waiting for a collision with ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§§§§ another body. but no planet was §§§§$*;».¨
¨¨¨»;;;*§# reached, and over time, the seedling #§*;;;»¨¨¨
¨¨¨..;$$§# 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. ¶§*»»»¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»*§# #§*»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»;*$§¶## ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## ##¶§$*;».¨
¨.»;*$§¶## ##¶§$*;».¨
¨¨¨¨»*$§§# #§§$*»¨¨¨¨