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¶&&&£§=~.¨ 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. ¨¨¨.~===£&
@@¶&£§=~.¨ ¨.~=§£&¶@@
#@¶&£§=~.¨ ######################################## ¨.~=§£&¶@#
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&§~~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¶ @ @ @ @ ¶ ¨¨¨¨¨.~~§&
¶¶£§§§=~.¨ ¶ @ @ 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. ¨.~~==£&¶¶
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