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220 lines
4.5 KiB
Text
220 lines
4.5 KiB
Text
.LP
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.ce
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.ps 16
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.CW
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SHIFT!
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.R
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.ps 8
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.CW
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tags: 1981, chricton, eva, plinth_mold, tab2
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.R
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11SEPT1981
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.br
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UNIVERSAL MOLD, NYC OFFICE
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth Mold scrolled through the morning news and shook his head.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"They make up some lie and then they get mad at you when you see
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through it. Because in their mind they think they've crafted the
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perfect deception, which should appeal to your (perceived) faults."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"That's pretty fucking ridiculous. Clearly they are to blame for
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their own inability to con you."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Yeah."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"By the way, do you want to come in early today?"
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I'm already here, sir."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth looked up from his leaf and saw that Thomas was indeed
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standing in the doorway to his office.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Oh. So I'm not talking to you on the phone."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"No, sir."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"You sound like you're on the phone."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I'm not, sir."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"You're sure."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Yes, sir."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Nano\-toxins. That eat sperm. Selective genocide."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"History is spamming
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.I
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weird."
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.R
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Yeah, I read about it the other day. Something they unleashed
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during World War II. Hell of a way to get your pipes cleaned."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Barbaric. And yet... Hmm. Piques the curiosity."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I'll say. I wonder if it hurts."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"See if you can finish up these inks before Chricton comes back
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from lunch."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Will do."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Thomas moved his fingers inside the box. Ink lines began to appear
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over the blue wireframe on his screen. Once finished, he would export
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the flat image to paper. For some reason, Plinth Mold still preferred
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a 2\-D mock\-up for his action figures. Thomas found the whole get\-up
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awkward, but for a paycheck he was willing to oblige.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I know this is not what we set out to do with ourselves," Thomas
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said to himself as he continued to trace the lines on his screen.
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"We've allowed a number of years to slip by, and yet, no clear
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progress towards our goals is apparent."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Just as Thomas was getting into the rhythm of self\-deprecation,
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Chricton returned, bursting through the door with two brown paper bags
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full of groceries.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"That was quick."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Yes. I ran into Eva in the corridor. Relieved her of these. Here,
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let's snack while we work."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Thoughtful of you."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Yeah, I don't think she was going to do anything important with
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all this stuff anyway. She was covered in some kind of white powder.
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Just stood there while I took her groceries away from her. Distant
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look in her eyes."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Thomas leaned his head down on his drawing surface and pretended to
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snort a line of cocaine.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Both men laughed heartily.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth was flossing with a piece of o\-ring from one of the
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prototype figures.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Boss, that's gross."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Hey, all this junk is mine anyway. Keep your eyes on your own
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paper."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"You know, I've often wondered how to solve the problem of The
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Troll."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"What the fuck is a Troll, boss?"
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I'm glad you asked. A Troll is merely someone who enters into a
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discussion with the intent of disrupting the equilibrium; usually by
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misrepresenting his own or others' actual positions in favor of
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inflammatory rhetoric, or by the constant interjection of
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.I
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non sequiturs."
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.R
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I see. This has to do with one of your theological speculations,
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doesn't it? Doesn't sound like a very friendly habit, anyway."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"No, the Troll isn't a very friendly sort at all. In fact, the
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practice of Trolling is usually undertaken maliciously. Why, the
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history of the Green is positively
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.I
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peppered
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.R
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with examples of
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individuals who\(em"
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"But boss, why would someone want to
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.I
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do
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.R
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something like that? Seems
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counterproductive."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"That, Thomas, is the problem of the Troll."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Chricton looked up from his workbench. "I think we should make a
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figure of this
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.I
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Troll
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.R
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character." He swiveled his screen around and
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displayed his design: a small creature with an obnoxious outgrowth of
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wispy hair, mounted atop a pencil as if it were some kind of
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ornamental eraser.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth was visibly amused. He depressed a switch inside his coat
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sleeve.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"Capital idea, Chricton! Our only obstacle will be securing a
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license on the concept from the
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.I
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Green Consortium."
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.R
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.PP
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.ps 10
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All of the men chuckled hesitantly before deliberately shifting the
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discussion to other matters.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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The
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.I
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Green Consortium
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.R
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never issued licenses.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Not to the likes of Plinth Mold.
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