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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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