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