,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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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