For now, let's turn back time to forty-five minutes earlier, before the Blue Side's surprise-attack fleet had entered Sarnal's near orbit and before the assault landers carrying more than two hundred knights had begun their descent. At that moment, a "scientific expedition" consisting of three "robots" and one human had already set out on their twentieth expedition underground in the past two weeks.
After their previous nineteen expeditions, they had finally finished exploring more than ninety percent of the standard robot factory.
If all went smoothly, completing this expedition would mean the archaeological work at the ruins was done.
In any case, aside from what seemed to be some kind of quantum ghost from the Void during their first expedition, the rest of their work had been danger-free, and their progress had proceeded in orderly fashion. Now that they were almost finished, even General Griffith, a "robot," was in high spirits. He gazed at the single building before them, large enough to fill a stadium, and watched as more than a dozen drones he had released scanned the enormous oval structure from every angle. Listening to the data reports coming through his terminal, his electronic eyes glimmered with golden delight.
"Bong bong bong~~~ bong bong bong bong~~ ba-da-da~~" He hummed in a steady rhythm with his electronic voice. It could perhaps be considered singing, though it still sounded like a flat, monotone electronic readout.
"What an astonishing design! Once we've restored this complex, it'll surely become the most important landmark in our robot theme park. Thank you for your help, Major Popas. When the park is finished, I'll give you a lifetime VIP pass."
A VIP pass, and a lifetime one at that, sounded like quite a valuable prize. It had to be worth at least six figures. Major Popas