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