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