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