###¶§$^-.¨ ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ FROM BELOW. ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ ######################################## ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ # # ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ # ######§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§###### # ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ # # # # ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ # # #¶¶§$§$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$§$§¶¶# # # ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ ¶ # # # # ¶ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ ¶ # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # ¶ ¨.-^$§¶###
##¶§$^-.¨¨ £ # ¶ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, ¶ # £ ¨¨.-^$§¶##
###¶§$^-.¨ $ ¶ ¶ 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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