&$$==»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»==$$&
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£$§»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»§$£
@&§§==»¨¨¨ ¨¨¨»==§§&@
##@&$§=»,¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨,»=§$&@##
£&§»»,¨¨¨¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨¨¨¨,»»§&£
&$=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=$&
#@£&$§=»,¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨,»=§$&£@#
#@£&$§=»,¨ spiraling down into the crust. small ¨,»=§$&£@#
##£&$§=»,¨ compared to the caverns they eventually ¨,»=§$&£##
##@£&$§=», reach and join with. the temperature is ,»=§$&£@##
##@£$§=»,¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨,»=§$£@##
#@£&$§=»,¨ as monochrome: a green light beckons ¨,»=§$&£@#
£££&$§=»,¨ from below. ¨,»=§$&£££
£&&§=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=§&&£
@@£&$§=»,¨ long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ¨,»=§$&£@@
#@£&$§=»,¨ the center of the planetoid, something ¨,»=§$&£@#
£$==»»¨¨¨¨ dormant, waiting for a collision with ¨¨¨¨»»==$£
##£&$§=»,¨ another body. but no planet was ¨,»=§$&£##
#@£&$§=»,¨ reached, and over time, the seedling ¨,»=§$&£@#
@&$§=»,,¨¨ became a sludge. ¨¨,,»=§$&@
£&&&$§=»,¨ ¨,»=§$&&&£
#@£&$§=»,¨ and elves came as miners, and the ¨,»=§$&£@#
£$===,,,¨¨ sludge was bottled. ¨¨,,,===$£
@@£&$§=»,¨ ¨,»=§$&£@@
#@£&$§=»,¨ ######################################## ¨,»=§$&£@#
&$§»,,¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨,,»§$&
##@£&§=»,¨ # #@#@@@&@&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&@&@@@#@# # ¨,»=§&£@##
#@£&$§=»,¨ # @ @ # ¨,»=§$&£@#
##@£&$§»,¨ @ @ @££&§&§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§&§&££@ @ @ ¨,»§$&£@##
£$$==,,¨¨¨ £ @ @ @ @ £ ¨¨¨,,==$$£
##@&$§=»,¨ £ @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ £ ¨,»=§$&@##
#@£&$§=»,¨ $ @ £ 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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