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@@£^~¨¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨¨~^£@@
##@@£*^«~¨ 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. ¨~«^*£@@@#
@£^^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^^£@
@@£^««~¨¨¨ 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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##@@£*^«~¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨~«^*£@@##
@@@@£*^«~¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨~«^*£@@@@
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##@@£*^«~¨ ######################################## ¨~«^*£@@##
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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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