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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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