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,,¨..-*%## § tiny blue purple ##%*-..¨,,
¨:.^,~~^£¶ - seal-like (selkie?) creature . ¶£^~~,^.:¨
.-»^%%@@## hovering in orbit around~ ##@@%%^»-.
.~~\$%#@## the earth, spinning, chasing. ##@#%$\~~.
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¨.=†¤£@### looks at the sun with laser eyes, ###@£¤†=.¨
.-»^§£&@## looks at the earth's power grid,¨ ##@&£§^»-.
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,¨¨¨,~/*£@ she swims toward the iss. @£*/~,¨¨¨,
,.---^:^&£ matches velocity, phases through the £&^:^---.,
.:=:*&@@ wall to a pockocmoc scientist, ¨ @#&@&*:=:.
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.,»=%£@¶@# she says, "hello", #@¶@£%=»,.
.¨¨,~,:%¤# she says "are you aware that #¤%:,~,¨¨.
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.,-:*£#### ~ and the station personnel ####£*:-,.
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.¨¨.^^$$¤# who are you, etcetera, etcetera. #¤$$^^.¨¨.
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..=;%&@@## she says^"i can protect you ##@@&%;=..
,,-;=$$§¶@ = in your tin can, = : @¶§$$=;-,,
..»:%%££#@ but your planetary friends, ¤ @#££%%:»..
,...,:~^@# their grid will be burned." ^ #@^~:,...,
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.:=;%%&# she says "you will be alone ¤ £ ##&&%%;=:.
,:»=^*¤#@# ¤ for a while". $ * #@#¤*^=»:,
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.~=\%%£### ¨¨ they hit her stretched skin. . , ###£%%\=~.
¨-~-»;=¤¶# ,. and behind¨here is.a shadow, and . #¶¤=;»-~-¨
.^~:*£@### ,in that shadow.is the space station.. ###@£*:~^.
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,¨¨..;¤£%@ a month later,¨the earth is still^dark. @%£¤;..¨¨,
,,~^=$## there's no contact, ¨ , ###&$=^~,,
,.«;%£@### maybe some shortwave and shit,, ###@£%;«.,
.^=\†%¤£## , confirming that some - ##£¤%†\=^.
.¨^~^=*%#@ - society's still there. @#%*=^~^¨.
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...^,~«=*# - the astronauts are unwell - #*=«~,^...
¨.~*%&## they degenerate, in weird ###&&%*~.¨
.:«-~»$$££ selkie-induced nursing sleep, ££$$»~-«:.
.~«**%§££@ to keep their heartbeats slow. @££§%**«~.
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