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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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