#£%=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=%£#
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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. ¨¨¨¨¨,~=%£
%=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=%
=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~