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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. ,,,,,,,,,:
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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. ,,,,:~:*£#
@#£*:~:,,, ,,,:~:*£#@
#@#£*:~:,, 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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