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£££¤$%*~,¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨,~*%$¤£££
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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 ¨¨¨,~*%%%¤
##£¤$%*~,¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨,~*%$¤£##
¤$*~~,¨¨¨¨ FROM BELOW. ¨¨¨¨,~~*$¤
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##£¤$%*~,¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨,~*%$¤£##
###£$%*~,¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨,~*%$£###
##£¤$%*~,¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨,~*%$¤£##
#£$**,¨¨¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨¨¨,**$£#
£¤$*,¨¨¨¨¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨¨¨¨¨,*$¤£
£££¤$%*~,¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨,~*%$¤£££
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##£¤$%*~,¨ £ # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # £ ¨,~*%$¤£##
#£¤¤$%*~,¨ $ # £ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, £ # $ ¨,~*%$¤¤£#
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£$$$*,¨¨¨¨ * ¤ £ HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE £ ¤ * ¨¨¨¨,*$$$£
##£¤$%*~,¨ * % ¤ PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET ¤ % * ¨,~*%$¤£##
£££¤$%*~,¨ ~ * ¤ SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS ¤ * ~ ¨,~*%$¤£££
£$%~,,¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ $ WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING $ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨,,~%$£
##£¤$%*~,¨ , , % GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. % , , ¨,~*%$¤£##
##£¤$%*~,¨ , , * THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, * , , ¨,~*%$¤£##
£$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ , , ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ , , ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$£
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£$$%%%*~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~*%%%$$£
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