¨^»†%$@@@# #@@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ##@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%%%$@# #@$%%%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ##@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%%%$@@ @@$%%%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ##@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@@@ ground with no hints of vegetation. @@@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ##@@$%†»^¨
¨¨¨¨¨»%@@@ 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, † ^ ^ @@@%»^¨¨¨¨
¨^»†%$@### ^ ^ » entertained, and then » ^ ^ ###@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$$@@@ ^ ^ ^ finally binged on. ^ ^ ^ @@@$$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@@$%†»^¨
¨¨¨¨^»»%$@ ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ @$%»»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨»†$$@ and the ship accelerates @$$†»¨¨¨¨¨
¨^»†%$$$@@ away. the elves have @@$$$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## strapped themselves in, and ##@@$%†»^¨
¨¨¨^»»††$@ are lying completely still, @$††»»^¨¨¨
¨^»†%$@@## like corpses. ##@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ##@@$%†»^¨
¨^»†%$@@## ##@@$%†»^¨
¨¨¨¨^»»%@@ @@%»»^¨¨¨¨
¨^^^^»%$@@ @@$%»^^^^¨
¨¨¨¨^»%%@@ @@%%»^¨¨¨¨