¨¨¨¨¨~-:¤# #¤:-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-:¤ ¤:-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-: :-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨