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