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