^,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,^
=^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^=
^=^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^=^
^^=^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^=^^
¤^^=^,,,,, ,,,,,^=^^¤
£¤^^=^,,,, 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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