.....^*=%£ £%=*^.....
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.....^*%%¤ ¤%%*^.....
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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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