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