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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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