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