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