¨~~\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\~~¨
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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. ##¶@%%\~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~~%%@ @%%~~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~\%%@¶## ######################################## ##¶@%%\~~¨
¨¨~~\\%@¶# # # #¶@%\\~~¨¨
¨~~\%%%@@¶ # ######@#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#@###### # ¶@@%%%\~~¨
¨~~\%%@@¶# # # # # #¶@@%%\~~¨
¨~~\%%@¶## # # #¶¶@%@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%@%@¶¶# # # ##¶@%%\~~¨
¨~~\%%@¶## ¶ # # # # ¶ ##¶@%%\~~¨
¨~~~~\%@@# ¶ # # 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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