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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. @¶¶£*%;--¨
¨--;%%%%£¶ ¶£%%%%;--¨
¨¨--;%%£¶¶ ######################################## ¶¶£%%;--¨¨
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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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