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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. ¨~«=*£&@@#
##@@&*=«~¨ ¨~«=*&@@##
@&£==~¨¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨¨~==£&@
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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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