.-«*^¤#£## ##£#¤^*«-.
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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. -.........
........-« «-........
.......-«* ######################################## *«-.......
......-«*^ # # ^*«-......
.....-«*^¤ # #@#@@@#@####################@#@@@#@# # ¤^*«-.....
....-«*^¤# # @ @ # #¤^*«-....
...-«*^¤#£ @ @ @££#^#^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#^#££@ @ @ £#¤^*«-...
..-«*^¤#£# £ @ @ @ @ £ #£#¤^*«-..
.-«*^¤#£## £ @ @ 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. #£#¤^*«-..
...-«*^¤#£ £#¤^*«-...
....-«*^¤# #¤^*«-....
.....-«*^¤ ¤^*«-.....
......-«*^ ^*«-......
.......-«* *«-.......