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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, ##¶££*/~^¨
¨^~/*£££¶# 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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