&.......&& &&&.&&.&..
&......&.& ..&&.&&&.&
&.....&&&. .&.&&..&&.
&....&..&& &&&.&.&.&&
&...&&.&.. ..&&&&&&..
&..&.&&&.& 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. &.&&&.&.&.
.&&.&&&&&& &&..&&&&&.
&.&&.....& .&.&....&.
&&.&....&& &&&&...&&&
.&&&...&.& ...&..&...
&..&..&&&& ..&&.&&...