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