.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
-......... .........-
~-........ ........-~
*~-....... 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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