£$*†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†*$£
@£$*†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†*$£@
#@£$*†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†*$£@#
##@£$*†=,¨ ¨,=†*$£@##
#@£$*†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†*$£@#
@£$*†=,¨¨¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨¨¨,=†*$£@
£$*†=,¨¨¨¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨¨¨¨,=†*$£
$*†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†*$
*†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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, ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†*
$*†=,¨¨¨¨¨ like corpses. ¨¨¨¨¨,=†*$
£$*†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†*$£
@£$*†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†*$£@
#@£$*†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†*$£@#
##@£$*†=,¨ ¨,=†*$£@##
#@£$*†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†*$£@#