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@£%%^~,,,, GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ,,,,~^%%£@
@@£%%^~,,, GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ,,,~^%%£@@
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@@£%%^~,,, 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. ,,,,,,~^%%
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%%^~,,,,,, AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ,,,,,,~^%%
£%%^~,,,,, SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ,,,,,~^%%£
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%^~,,,,,,, @ @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ @ ,,,,,,,~^%
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£%%^~,,,,, % @ @ 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, ^ , , ,,,,,~^%%£
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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, ,,,~^%%£@@
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