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##£&%§*=., GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ,.=*§%&£##
#&%*.,,,,, GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ,,,,,.*%&#
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##£&%§*=., 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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##£&%§*=., ######################################## ,.=*§%&£##
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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. . . . ,,,,,=§%&&
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£££&%§*=., , , , 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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