¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*
%*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*%
&%*«~¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*
%*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*%
&%*«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«*%&
¶&%*«~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~«*%&¶