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