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##@£*^»~¨¨ 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. ¨~»^*£@###
##@£*^»~¨¨ ¨¨~»^*£@##
###@£*^»~¨ ######################################## ¨~»^*£@###
##@£*^»~¨¨ # # ¨¨~»^*£@##
###@£*^»~¨ # #################################### # ¨~»^*£@###
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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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