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£*§=-^¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨^-=§*£
@£*§=-^¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨^-=§*£@
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##@£*§=-^¨ 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. ^ ^ ^ ¨¨¨^-=§*£@
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##@£*§=-^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^-=§*£@##
###@£*§=-^ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ^-=§*£@###
##@£*§=-^¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨^-=§*£@##
#@£*§=-^¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨^-=§*£@#
@£*§=-^¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨^-=§*£@
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