##@§$*/«,¨ ¨,«/*$§@##
#@§$*/«,¨¨ ¨¨,«/*$§@#
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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. ¨¨,«/*$§@#
##@§$*/«,¨ ¨,«/*$§@##
#@§$*/«,¨¨ ¨¨,«/*$§@#
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