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£¤^^^^»¨¨¨ 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. ¨:»^†¤§£##
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###£§†^»:¨ 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 ¨:»^†¤§£##
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##£§¤†^»:¨ ¤ # £ 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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