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