¤†††/,,,.. ..,,,/†††¤
#@#¤$†/»,. .,»/†$¤#@#
#$/»,..... .....,»/$#
#@#¤$†/»,. .,»/†$¤#@#
#@#¤$†/»,. .,»/†$¤#@#
#@#¤$†/»,. GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY .,»/†$¤#@#
¤†///»,... 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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