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