,-~^%%%%## ##%%%%^~-,
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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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,,,-~^^£## ######################################## ##£^^~-,,,
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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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