###&¤%\«^, ,^«\%¤&###
&%««^^,,,, ,,,,^^««%&
##&¤¤%\«^, ,^«\%¤¤&##
#¤%%\^,,,, ,,,,^\%%¤#
###&¤%\«^, ,^«\%¤&###
##¤%«,,,,, 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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