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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. ¨^-/%£&¶¶¶
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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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