...&..&&.. .&&&.&&.&.
...&&.&.&. &&..&&.&&&
&..&.&&&&& ..&.&.&&..
&&.&&&.... &.&&&&&.&.
&.&&..&... &&&....&&&
.&&.&.&&.. 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. ...&..&&&.
&&&...&..& ...&&.&..&
...&..&&.& ...&.&&&.&
&..&&.&.&& ...&&&..&&
.&.&.&&&&. &..&..&.&.
.&&&&&...& .&.&&.&&&&