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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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