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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. .~»/*§§£##
§§*»»»~~.. ..~~»»»*§§
###£§*/»~. 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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