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