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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.               ###§£^:~..
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..~:^£§### 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.             ###§£^:~..
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....:::^£§ 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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