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%^~~...... 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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