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