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