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#@@£&%=«~¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨~«=%&£@@#
@@@£&%=«~¨ 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. ¨~«=%&£@@#
££££&%=«~¨ ¨~«=%&££££
#@@£&%=«~¨ 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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£%=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=%£
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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. ~ ~ ~ ¨~«=%&£@@#
##@£&%=«~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~«=%&£@##
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#@@£&%=«~¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨~«=%&£@@#
££&==«¨¨¨¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨¨¨¨«==&££
##@£&%=«~¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨~«=%&£@##
££&==~¨¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨¨~==&££
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