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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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