###¶¤@^†«: :«†^@¤¶###
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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. ¨¨¨¨:†@@¶#
##¶¤@^†«:¨ ¨:«†^@¤¶##
##¶¤@^†«:¨ ######################################## ¨:«†^@¤¶##
¶@@@†:¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨:†@@@¶
¶¤@@@^†«:¨ # ######¤#¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤#¤###### # ¨:«†^@@@¤¶
##¶¤@^†«:¨ # # # # ¨:«†^@¤¶##
¤@@^^†«:¨¨ # # #¶¶¤^¤^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¤^¤¶¶# # # ¨¨:«†^^@@¤
¶¤^^^†:¨¨¨ ¶ # # # # ¶ ¨¨¨:†^^^¤¶
###¶¤^†«:¨ ¶ # # 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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