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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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#@£==^^^,, ######################################## ,,^^^==£@#
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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. ^ ^ ^ ,,,,,,«=£@
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#¤†==^,,,, , , , 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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