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,,&¤£§#¤@# - seal-like (selkie?) creature ¨ ,.@@,&¤,.@
,#¨,.,..,& hovering in orbit around~ ,£,¤#¨&¨££
¤£..¨¨,¨¤£ the earth, spinning, chasing. ##@¨#@£§.£
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§@.¨¨¨#@#. looks at the sun with laser eyes, ,£,&,¨@,£¨
,@¨..£,¨¤¨ looks at the earth's power grid,. &¤¤¤,#¤@@§
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.¤¨&,§£,§§ says "hmm...." - .¨&¨£.,.&.
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¨§¨,§..¤@, matches velocity, phases through the #@£¨.¨§,¨¤
##¨¤£,&,¤¤ wall to a pockocmoc scientist, . ,¨@,,&¤.#@
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@¨##¨,,¤£¨ she says, "hello", #¨¤£#&.£¨.
¤&.&,¨§¨@, she says "are you aware that £#¨..¤§¤,¤
.¤#&,§§£&¨ there's a burst ,#.,#..@£¨
§¨,£¤¨¨.@§ « coming?" ^ #¤.@£,¤¨§¨
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@£@¤£,£§¨, « and the station personnel @,§&¨....,
....#£¨#.§ are like, no, what, » @#,&,,¨..#
.,¨§,&§&@. who are you, etcetera, etcetera. ,#¤#¨,.¨£¤
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¨@¨.&¨.§., she says*"i can protect you #.£¤¨¨£&
#@.¤#.£§¨. ^ in your tin can, * \ ¤&¨#,#¨¨,&
.@¤.#§,#¨, but your planetary friends, § ,§@£&¤¨,£¨
¤.&@.£#£¨@ their grid will be burned." § ¤¨,¨,§,@£.
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¨£#¨¤.§.@¨ she says "you will be alone ¤ § ¤¨¨&.¨¤#,,
¤¨@£#§#£¤¨ & for a while". † = ¤¨#§.¤.£,¨
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,@,,,#¤¤,@ §*&;£^¤*£/&spreads her membranes,=#;¤^£/ @£#¨.#£§#¤
§@¨.¤..§#¨ £%*£@¤$%$%£§like fluid insect wings,@@&¤ ¨.#¨@¨¨,¨£
,£.¤§¨¤¨§@ #..# #,a dark glimmering laserdisc.#,# # ,#£@§,,¨§.
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¨¨£§¨,,§.& .. she feeds,on.the particles when. , £.¨¤£,&¨&§
¨§,¤,,#¤@& ,, they hit her stretched skin. , , &.#,#&§§.£
@§¤@¨¤¨¨,§ ,¨ and behind¨here is.a shadow, and , £#¤¤,.¨@@@
.,.£§&¨.¤, .in that shadow.is the space station.- ¨..&,.@...
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@,##.¨&,@& a month later,¨the earth is still.dark. §@#,&§§,,.
£&¨£.#.@ there's no contact, , . ¨.£§¨.#¨¨@
¨¤#¨,¤£¨ maybe some shortwave and shit,- ¨&¨#¨§@.&,
§,¨,@,@.¤, , confirming that some - £@£§£¨¤§£,
@¨,##@¤@¤¨ ^ society's still there. ¨.¨,#§¨,§&
@.§¨¨¨.¨§, , ¨ ¨,.@,£¨§¨,
&§£¨,,,¤£, , the astronauts are unwell - ¨¨£¤&¤¤&,@
.,£,,,@¨ they degenerate, in weird ¨&,¨.¨¨§@.
,£¤,.@##,& selkie-induced nursing sleep, &¤.¨,.¤,#¨
@.§¨#.,£@¨ to keep their heartbeats slow. ¨&.¨¨¤&&§,
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