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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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#¶%%=~¨¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨¨~=%%¶#
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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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