@#$$§††=-¨ ¨-=††§$$#@
@§§$$§†=-¨ ¨-=†§$$§§@
#@#§$§†=-¨ ¨-=†§$§#@#
##@§$§†=-¨ ¨-=†§$§@##
§§§§††=-¨¨ ¨¨-=††§§§§
#$$$§=--¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨--=§$$$#
##@#$§†=-¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨-=†§$#@##
#@#§$§†=-¨ ¨-=†§$§#@#
#§§===¨¨¨¨ 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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