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*†*~:¨¨¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨¨¨:~*†*
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#£*†*~:¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨:~*†*
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*†*~:¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨:~*†*£##
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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. † : : ¨¨:~*†*£##
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##£*†*~:¨¨ : : ~ 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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