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