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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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