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