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