.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
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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. ¨¨¨¨¨.~=*%
£%*=~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~=*%£
@£%*=~.¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨.~=*%£@
#@£%*=~.¨¨ # # ¨¨.~=*%£@#
##@£%*=~.¨ # ######£#££££££££££££££££££££#£###### # ¨.~=*%£@##
#@£%*=~.¨¨ # # # # ¨¨.~=*%£@#
@£%*=~.¨¨¨ # # #@@£*£********************£*£@@# # # ¨¨¨.~=*%£@
£%*=~.¨¨¨¨ @ # # # # @ ¨¨¨¨.~=*%£
%*=~.¨¨¨¨¨ @ # # 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. ¨¨¨¨.~=*%£
%*=~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~=*%
*=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=*
=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.