:=.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.=:
=.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.=
.,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,.
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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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