¨,-=%*£### ###£*%=-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-%£# #£%-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-%*## ##*%-,¨¨¨¨
¨,,,,,==%£ £%==,,,,,¨
¨¨,,===**# #**===,,¨¨
¨¨¨,,--%£# 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. ####£%=-,¨
¨,-=%*£### ###£*%=-,¨
¨,-=%*£### ###£*%=-,¨
¨,-=%**£## ##£**%=-,¨
¨¨,-----%£ £%-----,¨¨
¨,-=%*£### ###£*%=-,¨