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###£@^*-:¨ 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. ¨¨¨:-*^@£#
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###£@^*-:¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨:-*^@£
#£@^*-:¨¨¨ 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. : : : ¨¨¨¨¨:-*^@
£@^*-:¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨:-*^@£
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##£@^*-:¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨:-*^@£##
###£@^*-:¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨:-*^@£###
##£@^*-:¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨:-*^@£##
#£@^*-:¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨:-*^@£#
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