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#&*†/«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«/†*&#
##&*†/«~¨¨ ¨¨~«/†*&##
###&*†/«~¨ ¨~«/†*&###
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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. ¨¨~«/†*&##
#&*†/«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«/†*&#
##&*†/«~¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨~«/†*&##
###&*†/«~¨ # # ¨~«/†*&###
##&*†/«~¨¨ # ######&#&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&#&###### # ¨¨~«/†*&##
#&*†/«~¨¨¨ # # # # ¨¨¨~«/†*&#
##&*†/«~¨¨ # # #££&†&††††††††††††††††††††&†&££# # # ¨¨~«/†*&##
###&*†/«~¨ £ # # # # £ ¨~«/†*&###
##&*†/«~¨¨ £ # # 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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