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....,~†*£¶ 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. ~,........
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...,~†*£¶@ £ @ ¶ 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. , , , ¶£*†~,....
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..,~†*£¶@# . . . THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, . . . #@¶£*†~,..
.,~†*£¶@## AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ##@¶£*†~,.
..,~†*£¶@# AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE #@¶£*†~,..
...,~†*£¶@ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND @¶£*†~,...
....,~†*£¶ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¶£*†~,....
.....,~†*£ LIKE CORPSES. £*†~,.....
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