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