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