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#@@£%*†«~¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨~«†*%£@@#
£*«~~~¨¨¨¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨¨¨¨~~~«*£
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@%%†«¨¨¨¨¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨¨¨¨¨«†%%@
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##@@£%*«~¨ reach and join with. the temperature is ¨~«*%£@@##
#@@£%*†«~¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨~«†*%£@@#
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@%%*†~¨¨¨¨ from below. ¨¨¨¨~†*%%@
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£**††~¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨~«†*%£@@#
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#@@£%*†«~¨ 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. ~ ~ ~ ¨~«†*%£@##
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##@£%*†«~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~«†*%£@##
#@@£%*†«~¨ and the ship accelerates ¨~«†*%£@@#
@@@£%*†«~¨ away. the elves have ¨~«†*%£@@@
#@@£%*†«~¨ strapped themselves in, and ¨~«†*%£@@#
##@@%*†«~¨ are lying completely still, ¨~«†*%@@##
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