¨¨~~†%@&£# #£&@%†~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~†%@&£ £&@%†~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~†%@& &@%†~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~†%@ @%†~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†% %†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~† 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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¨~~†%@&£## ##£&@%†~~¨
¨¨~~†%@&£# #£&@%†~~¨¨