&&&&&,,,,, ,,,,,&,,,&
&&&&,,&&&& &&&&,,,&,,
,&&,,,,&&& &&&,,&,,,,
,,,,&&,,&& &&,,,,,&&&
,&&,,,,,,& &,,&&&,,&,
,,,,&&&&,, 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. ,,,,&&&&&&
,&&&&,,,,, &&&,,&&&&,
,,&&,,&&&& &&,,,,&&,,
&,,,,,,&&& ,,,&&,,,,&
,,&&&&,,&& &&,,,,&&,,
&,,&&,,,,& ,,,&&,,,,&