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