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