#££§/.,,,, ,,,,./§££#
££&£/...,, ,,.../£&££
££§§/=,,,, ,,,,=/§§££
###£&£/=., ,.=/£&£###
##£&£§/=., ,.=/§£&£##
#&&£//==., 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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£££&£§/=., ,.=/§£&£££