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