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