Ark-One Facility

2267, September 4th: As the SSD entered the destroyed ruins of Ark-One, they were greeted by the grizzly sight of scattered human remains through-out the entrance of the facility. Skeletons mired in mud & rubble, with their rags torn and weathered from the exposure of the Martian atmosphere. The remains of the attackers had not been moved, many Watchdog's and Sentinel's could be identified in their final resting positions; Likewise, the Scion Empire personnel which once operated and protected Ark-One were long since abandoned; Never put to rest. The SSD, led by Samson Khan, went further within Ark-One, down the launch tunnel, were the obliterated husks of AR Mechanoid's stood. The place was a relic, the site of an old battle, the SSD doubted anyone could have survived. Then as the MDF personnel arrived to the central testing chamber, they became frozen; They gazed upon a strange alien contraption, towering above them. Clearly, a machine eons beyond human technological capabilities. At the foot of the colossal giant, was a man. The SSD raised their weapons, but Khan ordered them to stand down. That man, was Elric. Samson Khan carefully approached him. "Who are you? What happened here?" Khan asked. Elric, unafraid of the mysterious visitors, boldly told the story of the raid on Ark-One, when the Amalgamate Republic destroyed his father's secret facility and killed nearly everyone there. Elric explained how all his life, he knew that place as home, despite all the terrible experiments his father subjected him to, to form him into the perfect weapon to destroy the Archons and the Empire's enemies. He stated how that in the raid, his father was almost killed, and how it was he and his sister that saved everyone with the use of what he called the "Archnoids", as he pointed towards the alien machine behind him. Khan inquired about the identity of his father, already suspecting it was the Emperor himself. When Elric confirmed this, the SSD were taken aback. Publicly, Balthazar had no children. Elric and his "sister" must have then been kept a secret, away from the public eye. The man introduced himself as Elric, and Khan returned the favor. Next to Elric, were the remains of a Scion Guard, with the insignia on his armor of the 13th Imperial Scarabs Company. The name on his chest plate read, "Sgt. Graves". Khan recognized the name and the unit from his time in the 13th ISC before transferring into the IDI. Khan noticed Elric had taken time to prepare a makeshift coffin nearby. "Did you know him?" Khan asked solemnly. Elric nodded, "Yeah, he saved my life." "So did I, when I served in the 13th ISC. But that was a lifetime ago, he was only a Private then," Khan replied. "Graves was a loyal man, he always cared about others before himself, he was a true Martian." Elric had gathered other dog tags he could find of the fallen, both of the Republic and Empire, including Agent Karov; One his best friends at Ark-One who had also died to protect him. Khan realized the impact Ark-One had on Elric and noticed the compassion he had, even for his enemies. Khan ordered the SSD to prepare the bodies of the dead for a proper burial. They prepared the remains of the fallen and began to burry them beneath the Martian sands. Khan, Elric, and the SSD, recited funeral rites and sent off the dead with a three-volley salute. Afterwards, Elric helped the SSD traverse the rest of Ark-One to locate and retrieve whatever devices, documents, and intelligence were still intact.