#¤^«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«^¤#
###¤*^\«^¨ ¨^«\^*¤###
###¤*^\«^¨ ¨^«\^*¤###
#*\^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^\*#
###¤*^\«^¨ ¨^«\^*¤###
###¤*^\«^¨ 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. ¨^«\^*¤¤##
###¤*^\«^¨ ¨^«\^*¤###
###¤*^\«^¨ ¨^«\^*¤###
##*\^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^\*##
¤^^«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«^^¤
#****^\«^¨ ¨^«\^****#