,,,,~~*§£¶ ¶£§*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*§£ £§*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*§ §*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* 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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