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