#@¶&$%\«,¨ ¨,«\%$&¶@#
@¶&$%\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\%$&¶@
¶&$%\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\%$&¶
&$%\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\%$&
$%\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\%$
%\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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