¶¤%*;-:,,, ,,,:-;*%¤¶
#¶¤%*;-:,, ,,:-;*%¤¶#
##¶¤%*;-:, ,:-;*%¤¶##
#¶¤%*;-:,, ,,:-;*%¤¶#
¶¤%*;-:,,, ,,,:-;*%¤¶
¤%*;-:,,,, 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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