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