⚗️ Time to explore the backstory of another Mech Arena Map! Let’s dive right in.

If walls could talk, the R.V. Vulcan would tell you a love story. You might not think that a ship, which experienced one of the most catastrophic accidents in recent times, would possess such a tale. A crew of 16 people. Gone. The ship itself? In pieces. But the story actually began 20 years earlier, when Ross Encino, the lead scientist on the R.V. Vulcan, locked eyes with Ana Markis, its Captain, in a school cafeteria. Their chemistry was instant. When Ana’s career took her to the stars, Ross took flight with her. He would have followed her anywhere.

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Some things in life are not designed to be separated. Ross Encino, lead Scientist on the R.V. Vulcan knew as much. The samples he’d removed from the main Artifact X structure were creating unstable energy waves, almost as if the pieces couldn’t bear to be apart. It was a feeling he understood all too well, as he watched his wife later that day, joking with the crew, whose spirits were in dire need of boosting. Everyone was nervous about the experiments and their concerns were being ignored. But Ana was like sunshine. She put everyone at ease.

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Moments before disaster struck, Ana was drinking a cup of tea made by her husband. She watched him, worried, through the lab window. He was carefully handling the red rock that was causing them so much anguish, hoping to find a breakthrough. A colleague jostled Ana as he went past, spilling the hot liquid down her. Upon hearing her cry out, Ross had looked up, distracted, and dropped the Artifact X fragment. One momentary break in concentration and everything was gone. No sabotage. Just an accident by a man, who cared more about his wife than anything. 

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There were no survivors on the original R.V. Vulcan after the accident. What little that remained of the ship was salvaged, with investigators hoping to find the source of the calamity. But when searches proved futile, Silva Industries announced they would build a new Arena, made from the ship’s ruins, to serve as a memorial to the crew. It would represent resilience. Hidden in the heart of the ship, you’ll find a plaque with the names of those who were lost. On there, half way down, are the names Ana and Ross. Even in death, they could never be parted. 

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