&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨&&&&&&& &&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&&&& &¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨
&&&¨¨&&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&&
&&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ &&&&&¨¨&&&
&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨ 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. &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&