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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 ,:»;†††††¤
¶¶¶¤$†;»:, REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ,:»;†$¤¶¶¶
@¤$;»,,,,, HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ,,,,,»;$¤@
##@¶$†;»:, AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ,:»;†$¶@##
#@¶¤$†;»:, FROM BELOW. ,:»;†$¤¶@#
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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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##@¶¤†;»:, , , , 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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