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