#**/:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:/**#
####*%/«:¨ ¨:«/%*####
##%//:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨://%##
###**%/«:¨ ¨:«/%**###
####*%/«:¨ ¨:«/%*####
####*%/«:¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨:/%#
##%/«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«/%##
####*%/«:¨ ¨:«/%*####
#*/«:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::«/*#
####*%/«:¨ ¨:«/%*####
###**%/«:¨ ¨:«/%**###