\«-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-«\
«-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-«
-,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,-
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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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-,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,-
«-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-«
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