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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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#@£¤@*/=-. .-=/*@¤£@#
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