.&&..&..&. &&&&&&&&&&
&&.&.&&.&& &.........
&.&&&&.&&. .&........
&&&...&&.& &&&.......
&..&..&.&& &..&......
&&.&&.&&&. 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. .&...&..&&
.&&....&.& &&&..&&.&.
.&.&...&&& &..&.&.&&&
&&&&&..&.. &&.&&&&&..
&....&.&&. ..&&....&.
&&...&&&.& ..&.&...&&