,~-=%§£### ###£§%=-~,
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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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