#@@%*^~^¨¨ ¨¨^~^*%@@#
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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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#@@%*^~^¨¨ ¨¨^~^*%@@#
@@%*^~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~^*%@@
@%*^~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~^*%@