¨§¨§¨§¨§§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§§§§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§§§¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§§§§¨§¨ 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.               §§§¨¨§¨¨§§
§¨§§§§§¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨§                                          ¨§§§¨§§§§¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨                                          §¨§¨§¨¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨¨§§§§                                          §§§§§¨§§§¨