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