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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, # # # ,,,,~=*¤£#
##£¤*=~,,, ¤ # # PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, # # ¤ ,,,~=*¤£##
###£¤*=~,, * # # IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED # # * ,,~=*¤£###
##£¤*=~,,, = £ # HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE # £ = ,,,~=*¤£##
#£¤*=~,,,, = * £ PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET £ * = ,,,,~=*¤£#
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*=~,,,,,,, , , * GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. * , , ,,,,,,,~=*
=~,,,,,,,, , , = THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, = , , ,,,,,,,,~=
*=~,,,,,,, , , ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ , , ,,,,,,,~=*
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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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