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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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