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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.               ###£§†^~,.
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.,~^†§£### 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.             ##£§†^~,..
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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.      , , , ###£§†^~,.
..,~^†§£## . . .                              . . . ##£§†^~,..
.,~^†§£### . . . 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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