Scene #4873: Operation: Rathuum (1)

Owner	Pose
Kushiko	With everything going completely topsy-turvy in the Multiverse, it should be no surprise that there are those who would seek to capitalize on the chaose--those waiting for either faction to dissipate, or waiting on those to were around to simply not pay attention. This is the case when it came to a full company of Grineer that wished to leave the totalitarian, xenophobic empire in the Origin System. Unfortunately, the chaos of the Multiversal realignment was simply not enough to actually get away and in the process, they were captured. Naturally, the Steel Meridian whom the Grineer were planning to defect to wasn't about to let this stand, but they had no real options since Kela de Thaym who decided to use Rathuum was naturally going to rig the fight as a show of force. To dissuade future defectors. This is where you and the Tenno come in. An old rule states that in lieu of the Accused fighting, another may volunteer to fight on their behalf. Of course, this would mean both Accused and Defender would face the same penalty, which is why the rule rarely saw light. But when it's the Tenno and Elites... well. Suffice it to say, even if you only manage to rescue the defectors, you can smear some egg on Kela de Thaym's face by fighting -- and beating -- her personal squad of Executioners handpicked from all corners of the Grineer Empire. It wouldn't take long for standard FTL transports--be it directly provided by an Elite, or serviced by allies and associates of the Lotus to actually make one's way to Sedna within the Origin System. This may be where people are now--talking via radio as they make their way to one of the Rathuum arenas for Phase 1. Oh yes. They're making this a multiphase trial--they can't make it /easy/ after all, not with the fights potentially tilted in favor of the Executioners.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone was flattered the Steel Meridian had recalled she existed and was thankful Cressa Tal had asked formaly for help. Given Grineer law? This was by the local laws and helping in this way does seem to line up with the mission statements of the Paladins. Though a trial by combat? Okay this was new but everything seemed to line up so she did feel she owed Tal one for how she asked for help and attempting to use the local law to bail the defectors out. She doesn't fault them for wanting to get the hell out of the Grineer military, she was here to do what she could. She knows the Grineer would be no easy foe. Her ship had arrived by offered ship rather than bring her own into this system, she knew the Grineer and Corpus might get a bit too interested in it and so here she was clad in her stelth armour and packing some slightly heavier than normal weaponry in her arms. "All right so I get the basics, a bunch of Grineer wanted the hell out of the mad house they were born into, and now face the legal trial by combat. We're subbing in and we damn well better win or we'll swing with them, right? I'm in the Steel Meridian fired a formal request for help and thus here I am."
Haguro	It has been quite some time since Haguro last sortied on any sort of mission, and her pre-combat jitters haven't quite improved at all since she last saw active duty. If anything, it might be even worse today considering there aren't any familiar faces around. The ride over is fairly uneventful, at least, with the ship spirit chekcing over her ammo and armor in advance. <<"Haguro, reporting in. I.. Um. L-let's do our best, everyone. If you need long-range support, call on me.">> She reports to her allies while approaching the arena, already looking a little shaky even before getting in there. Are people really going to be watching this fight? What if someonej umps in? What if the people they're here to replace are already dead? What if they're getting in over their heads with this whole mess? Good thoughts to have, all things considered. Despite the heavy armor plates and various gun emplacements worn on her shoulders and wrists, Haguro still looks completely out of place in the arena as if she'd rather be anywhere else. <<"Th-that's what I've heard, yes... We'll just need to win this, right? N... Not a problem.">>
Lin	Having worked with Kushiko and the Lotus before, and now with new affiliations to the Concord, Karal Rei Lin is here. She would probably be here anyways if there was a good reason for a fight - because if there's GOING to be a fight anyways, why not enjoy it? Such is the path of this Dawn Caste of the Sun's holy chosen. The grinning, eager redhead who's fidgeting as she gets off her transport doesn't make a habit of creating unnecesary fights... but a fight that's already necessary. Oh, now that's something else ENTIRELY. Onwards to the arena!
Gaonoir	The multiversal upheaval may of caused plenty of chaos and distraction, but it's not enough to entirely keep watchful eyes off where they are needed. In some way or form, even if not an intentional target of it, the call for help reached the Watch. This was an oppritunity to not only do some good for people caught in middle of the power struggle, but also to show the organization was willing to live up to it's claims to strike where it is needed for the greater good, regardless of circumstances. In return, they sent... a dog. Yes, a dog. Though hardly your typical dog, even if one did not know the specifics of 'Digimon'. Seeing the almost jet-black canine walked on two legs, and despite being only the size of a large child sported a mean disposition with the purple headband and the matching boxing gloves on his paws. No, this was definately no ordinary dog. Not to mention Gaonoir is simply.. there at some point, almost as if having stepped out the shadows. Which isn't too far off, and meant whatever transport brought him here was still safetly out of the way and out of the sight. "Just tell me which unjust bastards I need to speak with." One gloved fist thumped against the palm of the other. "And by speak I mean with my knuckles."
Alexis Maaka	Arena, huh? This is definitely going to be an interesting show, especially for the performers too. ALexis Maaka decloaks, having been here the ENTIRE TIME but not having shown herself until just now. "Let's bail the Meridian out of this." She says, clapping Kotone on the back. Factions be damned, she will never let Kotone deal with this sort of thing on her own. That's what friends are for, what FAMILY is for. Pulling a massive shotgun from her back, a ten gauge Calidus pattern used by the Imperium Naval Stormtroopers, she pops her neck. "Been aching for a chance to take a piece of Kela, anyways." She says, grinning behind her death mask of a helmet. She's seen the reports regarding the Grineer General, showing her some humility will be satisfying.
Kushiko	<"Such aid is appreciated. Cressa Tal is going to be keeping a more quiet eye on things so she does not draw attention to herself."> For good reason: the Steel Meridian fought a guerilla war because open combat against the LEGIONS of Grineer footsoldiers that could be fielded was asking to be ground into a greasy splotch. Nonetheless, after verifying identities of those who game to help--because right now, factional allegiance did not matter--the Lotus addressed the others further once they eventually were brought aboard the Grineer Galleon 'Nakki' in orbit over Sedna. This particular vessel had been repurposed for Rathuum--not only this one but other trials in the past. <"To answer all of your questions, we know there will be three phases overall. Nakki, Yam, and Vodyanoi. Victory in Nakki will begin the next stage in Yam, and then to Vodyanoi. Victory--and freedom for those who are Accused is by earning Judgement Points. Judgement Points are won by defeating the Executioners. Conversely, should they win any in their own right, there is no doubt they will execute those defector's freedom who has not been won."> Incidentally doges are cool. Shame Kushiko can't bring hers, that would be pretty sweet. And speaking /of/ Kushiko, the Tenno's chosen Warframe is Nova Prime--colored by dark purples and blacks, fibrous tissue visible in places along the arms and legs of the armored 'humanoid' for which there's a number of energy funnels: two on the back and two on the back of the head of a domed visage, circular 'stripes' radiating from where the mouth should be. Upon her back is a massive sword, and held in her arms is a shotgun that, maybe not as big as Alexis' own and evoking thoughts of a double-barreled shotgun (if far more ornate and elegantly hewn) as she steps forward. To Gaonoir, the Tenno projects--definitely not something /emitted/ from the actual armor, a feminine voice that one could not accurately suss the age of: <"Really, it's going to be all of them... looks like they're giving us a preview. Maybe to /scare/ us."> Of course, that last sentence is uttered with a little bit of disdain all her own, though she gives Karal a faint headbob through Nova. <"Hey Karal, Kotone, and... Haguro, right? ... Yeah, long range fire's going to be a good idea, but pick your places carefully.">
Kushiko	The reasoning for that beccomes plain: the arena itself is wide but multileveled: bulkheads spanning from the floor to the top on the mid-upper level that one can access via ramps on the north and south ends, and on the east and west are straight drops down to a lower level, but further from there... there's corridors and side passages, some open aired, some that run underneath the lower central platform of the arena. Said arena's central point features a recessed hologram emitter showing the planet below, and orbiting objects. Speaking of orbiting objects, there are some of those that seem to be projecting images of the audience: hordes of anxious, excited Grineer who are ready and waiting for the fight to begin. They're also ugly as hell, some wearing armor that's pretty plainly armor designed for survival on high temperature surfaces, their faces drawn with pockmarked lines, some just simply have all cybernetics--crude-looking, but highly effective given their purpose. And one of those orbiting projectors gives the Tenno and the Elites an idea of exactly what they were looking at. So, one might think one would have a fair fight here? Nope. Even from the beginning, it's obvious: the six combatants fighting on behalf of the Accused face not six others, but seven: And boy do they look MEAN: the preview holos depict a wide variety of bodyshapes, some of them massive and hulkingly armored, others more far more lithe and deliberate. There's at least one sniper by way of the weapons, one of them holds a rocket launcher along with an axe and shield, another still is dualwielding wickedly high tech axeblades. Another still, in teal coloration of his armor has a trio of drones floating near him, and the remainder cannot be clearly seen--but it's enough to realize that they're definitely stacking the deck heavily in their favor short of trying to outright cheat. Well, they did say they were going to rig the fights: now it's plain to see /how/: overwhelm and throw some of the meanest, toughest Grineer out there that one can.
Kushiko	Once everyone is ready and arrived at the Arena, the visage of Kela de Thaym replaces the images that were flashed upon the quad-screens projected by the hovering units. She's got some /extensive/ cybernetics and seems to have a cannon for an /arm/. The industrial heavy look already dominating the Grineer culture and societal /look/ is plainly evident, and she's all but sneering as she announces to the fans--and the participants alike: "Mongrels, Blood-staved Morons--ARE YOU READY?!" The image fades from view--now replaced by a countdown. 3... 2... 1.... And that's when the horn sounds off--on one side is the Grineer. The other side: you. Time to hunt and fight and /win/.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa jumps a bit when Maaka shows up and sets a hand on her, Maaka had snuck up on Kotone, thankfully she calms down it was good to have someone like that at her back. Though Kotone was worried about some things she lets those things fade out of her mind she has to fight after all. She takes note of the Imperial Issue shotgun. Imperium tech was like AK 47s she'd found they were damn reliable. <<Think nothing of it and I understand that Tal needs to keep a low profile.>> That's a hell of a lot riding on them, she keeps note on just /how/ it's going to go, right? the laws are refernced and looked over on Kotone's HUD, everything lines up so far and snoe she seems to be ready, knowing the Nova is here today? Means there's going to likely be anti matter involved, she still got chills about a group that figured out how to harness something like that. <<I get it, but I am going not let them use it to get in my head. Right, I was thinking of keeping on the move honestly given this is an arena fight. Siting still is asking to get fragged>> Now she's ready and it's time to go she smirks for a moment as Kela De Thaym's comment she looks nods to her companions once and then cloaks her form becoming a lot harder to see now as she gets into the arena nad makes ready to set up, she knows she's going to likely be moving alot, and this? Won't be easy at all.
Haguro	Haguro's sweating a bit as this is starting to look less like it'd be a straightforward battle to the death and more like a disadvantgeous and skewed battle to the death. No pressure. No pressure at all. The FTL craft was just warm, that's all! <<"Carefully.. U-understood! I'll see if I can find some higher ground, then...">> It's easier said than done, of course, considering that both sides are free to move as they please at this point. She's hesitant to move, of course, but just styaing in one place isn't going to do her nor her allies any favors. <<"It looks like there's ramps, so... I'm heading towards the south side. I'll draw their fire as best I can, so please be ready!">> The anxiety is rather obvious in her voice, but it's not keeping Haguro from moving, at least. She takes off running at a fairly brisk pace, heading towards the southern ramp leading upwards while keeping her arms (and armored sections) close for the time being.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka can't help but look cheeky behind her helmet. Thankfully the scary skull-like design of the mask helps hide her amusement at KOtone's surprised reaction. "Boo." She hoists the shotgun, before everyone is hailed by the Lotus. <<We'll get this done, don't worry. We owe the Meridian that much.>> "Hope you're ready to accept loss, 'cause your champions are gonna be leaving this arena in pine boxes once we're through!" She taunts, not giving one shit about the crowd or Kela's feelings as she enters the arena. Once the countdown finishes, she takes off running, shotgun in hands, as she nimbly makes her way towards one of the higher platforms, trying to scout out the competition before she closes in to engage them directly. "Bring it on."
Gaonoir	A soft snort emits from Gaonoir as he crosses his arms while watching the various displays. "Intimidation tactic," he agrees with the Tenno. "At least they're being up front on the fact they don't intend for us to win." Not that their intent is going to matter as much as he's concerned. To himself, he's silently glad that he convinced Erika to stay at the seaport, even if it meant not having Umbra Gaogamon at hand. He didn't need to have to worry about keeping an eye on her as well, and in this sort of fight, she would of just been a weak link to remove him from the board. "Tch. They want a show of power, they're going to get a show of power." The screen switchs to a countdown once they're at the arena proper, and the digimon tenses, legs flexing a bit, ears laying back. "Just not the one they want." There's just enough a fangy grin with that remark to remind everyone that the canine may be a good guy but he isn't necessarily 'good' entirely. And then there's the GO and as soon as it hits Gaonoir takes off. There was three simple reasons why he was starting out in this form: Small, Fast, and Stealthy. He's charging for one of the corridors under the central platform to get out of the Snipers' direct line of sight. Right now his best tactic is to get Champions to come after him, where one of their buddies can't easily try to pick him off mid-fight.
Lin	Lin goes barreling into the arena with her sword still sheathed. Does she ever stand out as an oddball in this setting! Here she is in corridors of steel and stranger metals, surrounded by fanciful futuristic machinery... a young woman dressed in a fashion appropriate to ancient earth, with no visible augmentations or even a hint of armor. Her weapon is simply a steel katana (albeit one with a crossguard...), and... that's it. No fancy rifles. No firearms at all. She might come off like a sitting duck, easy pickings. But as she draws that simple, primitive weapon, as her lips curl into a wrathful and bloodthirsty smile... This is no ordinary redheaded girl. There is a TERROR in this battlefield and it just happens to be wearing a human form. That blade gleams with looming pain and death. She hardly needs to be aglow - which she currently isn't - for the outrageously violent strength of her soul to bear down upon those who would dare to face her! Lin expertly twirls her weapon for show and drops into a guard, clearly daring her enemies to come to her...
Kushiko	LET THE RATHUUM BEGIN. If the faceless Nova Prime of Kushiko could smile, she'd be favoring Gaonoir with a grin right now. Alas, such is the problems of the Warframes--they don't /need/ faces for what they do, so they don't /have them/. "Oh Grineer, look. Today's Executioners are more brutal than you are /ugly/. They /LOVE/ their Queens!" Such announcing and words gets the Grineer crowds even more riled up, to which the projection has naturally panned to before switching back to Kela's brutal visage. Naturally, she wastes no time in explaining for the audience at home what's at stake: "Today's /Accused/ are cowardly deserters. They hate their Queens so much, they're using Tenno and even these ELITES to defend them!" Again, a switch to the audience and a chorus of boos is perfctly placed for Kela's twisted narrative. Some degree of false modesty infects Kela's voice as the projectors switch back to her. "What more do you need to know?" Ohyeah. Maximum smug. And then Alexis speaks. "HAHAHAHAHA, oh look at this, look at this, my blood-thirsty masses! That one thinks /awful/ big of themselves. I think they might get as ugly as some of you maggots out in the audience today with THAT KIND OF TALK." Again, even more cheering, raucous and unhinged. Kotone and several others have the right of it--once the horn resonates through the arena to signify the battle start, Kushiko is breaks into a quick sprint, scaling and moving along with her--and the two of them encounter someone... /fun/, so to speak. It starts with a cackling laugh that belongs to Executioner Zura, the enigmatic Hyekka Master with a pack of a half-dozen hairless Hyekka that break into an attack pattern, causing Nova herself to spin and pivot out of the way and blasting one point blank with her Sancti Tigris, cleaving it in twain as Zura attempts to open fire on Kotone with her flamethrower to assist her Hyekkas. Meet Executioner Garesh and his twin axes: the Basolk. And by meet, we mean that not long after he's spotted, he brings both axes wide as if he was going to throw--or cleave someone--and he does the former. The axes whirling and coming to a halt near Haguro, teleporting the Grineer closer as he attempts to bring the axes down on his chosen victim! Looks like if she wanted attention, she was getting it.
Kushiko	After all, he's not alone--the red coloration of Vay Molta's armor is about the best notion one can have of her before she rockets up into the air and starts to unload a barrage of missiles--though unfortunately not just at Haguro to help cover Garesh's approach but to harass and harry others here who stay anywhere near the open--like Karal, whom Vay Molta may just take on next. Gaonoir on the other hand with his chosen path has run into Executioner Nok--a decorated veteran wielding the Grineer-designed Sobek shotgun opens fire on him with a quick blast--probably may not hit since it was a hip-fire one, but he isn't quite done: pulling one hand off his shotgun sees him activate something. And that something is the materialization of a Carabus combat drone: an oddly shaped thing, sortof top-heavy but with a cyclopean eye of a disc as it zooms forward to try and electrify the Digimon with a focused electric beam! It might be the fact that Karal /wasn't/ wearing anything fancy that she got the attention of Executionar Harkonar with her customized Buzlok sniper rifle. Maybe that radiant challenge was part of it, but there's an audible whine from the high-powered rifle as Harkonar in her orange-teal armor takes steady aim, the tracking beam locked onto Karal's chest where the heart should be--and fires! After all... beings like Karal, even if they /didn't/ necessarily look exactly like the Tenno--they treated her, and many of the other Elites with the same sensation they did with the Tenno: MAXIMUM FORCE. You were monsters, and these Executioners /thrilled/ in the chance of killing such 'monsters'. Executioners Dok Thul and Gorth are two that are actually staying the closest together and not closely engaging just yet: Dok Thul on the other hand has deployed a trio of drones, and Gorth has begun to fire rockets out at both Haguro and Karal as he begins to take the frontline himself, though he's going to be protective of the oddly armored Dok Thul--though a signal from Dok Thul, and Gorth fires a rocket towards the scouting Alexis!
Alexis Maaka	Maaka just -grins- beneath her helmet. She's loving this, the chance to make Kela look like a moron is irresistible. "You know it, bitch. Your audience wants blood, they'll get it alright. We're gonna use your executioners to paint our /fucking masterpiece/!!" She points to the Executioners Dok Thul and Gorth, like a pro-wrestler might when cutting a promo. Then she beckons them to come for her, mocking them with a middle finger salute. "COME AT ME, COCKSUCKERS!" A rocket is their answer, and she takes the hint. She takes off with a boosted jump from her perch, using surfaces for wall-running thanks to her suit's paramagnetic grips, then grappling onto a distant platform to evade rocket fire, her shotgun firing at Gorth with ten gauge slugs.
Gaonoir	One has to give Nok credit, the veteran's tactics are very solid. A corridor gives little room for dealing with the potential spread of a shotgun or a highly maneuveral secondary attacker like a drone. Clearly this warrior knows his stuff to be thinking that quickly into the game. Putting her best onto the field to try and just crush the opposition instead of dancing around with games and scare tactics alone? Gaonoir could give Kela some credit for being upfront at least in the intent of them not every winning, even if he dislikes pretty much everything else about her and her setup in the short time he's been here. But actually firing the gun might of been a mistake. The shotgun's crack is tip-off of his approach, and the distance more than enough for Gaonoir to dodge aside of an attack that was more speed than precision. If it was meant to scare him? Then it -really- failed. The drone is quick as it is dispatched, but Nok is going to be sorely disappointed if he expects his foe to run from it. It's exactly the opposite as Gaonoir has stopped, digging feet into the ground to brace himself, eyes narrowing as the electrified device charges towards him. "Static HooOOOOOOOOwl!" Gaonoir channels the disruptive effect he has on electronic devices into a howling sonic pulse aimed at the drone, attempting to knock it out of the fight before it can strike. Or at least knock it off it's course with the scrambling effect.
Kotone Yamakawa	Two Sides enter, one side leads, sadly Kotone doesn't have any chain weapons to bring to bear, but that does not matter she's packing some pretty good heat, shit is somewhat akin to area games she's played along with Breakout Ciris. She's alreayd moving and it's good too as Zura opens fire on kotone and soon comes the flames. Kotone's stealth systems make her a harder target but at the pace she needs to move at? She's gong to be able to be seen but it's going to be harder to see her. She flips out of the wya of the flamethrowna nd counters with shots from the SMG she normally uses it seems she's packed some AP rounds today given hout the Grineer are infamous for using heavy armour, she's done her best to be ready and now comes the Keyekkas what the hell are these horrible monster things? Seriously what the hell Origin System, is what are they? She'll ask Teno after this is ofer but as the flames come? So does something else of Kotone's a plasma grenade is lobbed into the mix.
Haguro	That was way more attention than Haguro was hoping to get. Melee combat isn't quite her forte outside of simulations, but... Well, it's clear this anything but a simulation. Zura's axes shear chunks off of her forward shoulder's armor off aloong with one of the miniature turrets parked on it. The missiles don't make things any easier, forcing her to back off away from that ramp she was so hoping to reach before getting rushed. Oddly enough, she seems more intimidated by the oncoming missiles coming from afar than the axes whirling right at her courtesy of Zura. Still, with that slight boost from getting blasted back by the initial charge (and just a bit of terror adrenaline, Haguro's putting enough distance between herself and the axe-wielder to fire back herself. Raising her arms in front of her, Haguro fires off a quick volley of explosive shells to propel herself further back, trying to keep Zura away until she can regroup!
Lin	A bead's been drawn on her! Lin's reaction is seemingly instantaneous! Instead of evading, she becomes a blur that charges straight TOWARDS the incoming round. Of course, the naked eye can't quite see this! All most observers will see is a gleaming flash of steel and two impacts against the ground on either side of Lin, a few flecks of blood splattering the ground. A speeding blur of colors is all that can be seen of Lin as she tears across the battlefield with all the speed she can muster! Straight for Harkonar. Of course, what ACTUALLY happened there... for those who CAN see such detail? It's actually quite simple. Lin executed a rather splendid manuever of slashing the bullet in half vertically and twisting her blade to divert the shards of the shell with impossible timing. This impact should have by all rights SHATTERED her steel weapon, but the twisting motion canceled its vibration rather effectively. The blade's been a bit dulled, but it remains intact... But as they passed by, the shards managed to clip Lin's arms and spear through, inflicting some nasty flesh wounds and ripping into arm muscle...
Kushiko	For what it's worth, Maaka's attempts to get things riled up even more would probably do very well against an ordinary audience. Problem is, the average Grineer is stupid and going to listen to their higher ups like Kela before letting something like Alexis' words cut to it. "Amazing, if it weren't for the fact she had a few too many syllables, I think this one'd fit right at home with the rest of you bloodthirsty maniacs." Kela almost mockingly remarks through the projection, one fist clenching for emphasis to the cheers of the masses of Grineer that pop onto the projectors intermittently. And when Maaka decides to show off some acrobatics, that changes up Gorth's demeanour almost instantly. The heavily armored Grineer anticipates this, bracing himself as Dok Thul projects an amber energy field around him; the slugs are practically rendered harmless, the field robbing it of any force as he levels the Ogris at Alexis in full--and not one, not two, but /six/ individual rockets are fired from the Ogris in one salvo at Alexis' position while he's made invulnerable. Nok would be annoyed if he allowed himself to be annoyed in this case--there's no time for that. Goddamn youngings gotta go fast, is it? Still, the reaction Gaonoir had to his opening blasts was key to his strategy much like it was for fighting Tenno. Find what they fear, then use it against them. Gaonoir didn't fear the Carabus drone. A guttural growl comes from him as the Carabus is sent careening away--but while Gaonoir does that, the single shot seemed to be Nok's feint: the shotgun reveals itself to be automatic. And the shells are acid-coated as he simply /unloads/ that drum on the weapon, rolling to one side to not allow the firing angles to remain the same as he closed in on Gaonoir. Was he simply seeking close range to use against the Digimon? <"Careful, attack from the sides and keep moving!"> Hyekkas were dangerous and designed to hunt the Infested by the Grineer. Which made them technically perfect for Tenno hunting, not that anyone here /knew/ that the flesh within the Warframes was born of the same technocyte plague that made the Infested. Kotone's plasma grenade causes the weirdly masked figure (really, it kind of resembles a version of attack dog training equipment) as the cybernetically enhanced Grineer rolls out of the way as a Hyekka howls in agony as the SMG fire rips into it's flesh--but only slows it down.
Kushiko	The pack is on the hunt, and while Kushiko has the lion's share thanks to Kotone's stealth influence, they're trying to keep the pair off balance. A sweeping gesture as the control surfaces of Nova Prime split, energy flaring and an orbiting series of antimatter energy balls manifests around her--the tiny silver orbs that matched the ruthenium gilding of the Warframe launching to crash into the Hyekkas and keep /them/ off balance. One good turn deserved another as the plasma grenade lit the area up explosively to blast apart the off-balance Hyekkas, and Kotone found herself on the receiving end of an incendiary bomb thrown her way! Haguro may not like the attention she got from Garesh and Vay Molta but it turns out Garesh is weak to POINT BLANK BLASTING, the Grineer getting thrown back violently by the shelling and colliding hard with a bulkhead. Vay Molta rockets her way down, switching off to what could only be described as a rocket powered warhammer (HI REINHARDT) and igniting the thrusters on it's head to carry her in a spiralling movement to bring the momentum of that motion into the strike against Haguro. Or at least, in her vicinity--Haguro may not get the full force of a direct hammer blow from Vay's Jat Kittag, but it'll explode violently with a shockwave upon impact. Good news, bad news for Karal: that closing in approach against Harkonar is super, /super effective/. The problem is that Harkonar is not a simple sniper--not in the least. She wasn't completely able to see what happened, but Karal's reaction told the female Grineer all she needed to know--and that she needed to be ready. Karal's movements elicited the rapid dashes of Rhino or even Excalibur that she has seen. Wounded, she may be, but that's when beings like that were the most dangerous. Karal's eyes might be able to catch what happens in turn: there's a displacement visibly, air distorting, and to other eyes, it seems like Harkonar's still there. But it's an illusion--a decoy as a second Harkonar is also seen, backing away while the first maintains her knelt over position as Karal hurtles forward. Though, the real question is--which one is the decoy?
Alexis Maaka	Maaka's almost disappointed, but she guesses she couldn't be this surprised. THe Grineer are pretty single-minded, in all honesty. It's kind of pointless to try, even if it felt good to get that off her chest. She'll just insult them by killing their champion instead. Gorth's rockets do definitely give Maaka reason to take this seriously, and she pumps the shotgun again one-handed, Sarah Connor style, before she fires it at the rockets again. Until the field goes down, Maaka will settle for evasive maneuvers, wall-running, boost jumping, and grappling across the battlefield, sprinting fast as her legs can carry her while she primes and tosses an EMP grenade. Her gear and body systems are hardened, but there's a chance the Executioner's force field isn't.
Haguro	Did.. Did that work? Even Haguro looks surprised, but she doesn't have long to process what's happened to Garesh before Vay Molta is back in her face. Dealing with missiles is one thing, but a hammer? She's at least fast enough to avoid a hammer! ... Right until it explodes against her arm. Although it was only a grazing hit, the explosion that follows from the Jat Kittag draws a pained and fearful scream from the heavy cruiser as she's blasted back yet again. Her right arm looks rather banged up already between the armor all but being stripped there along with the cannons, leaving her with only the gear on her left in working condition. She's forced into a retreat yet again, backing up towards that ramp she had originally sought out at the start of the match. This is not going at all like she was hoping that it would. Just moving that arm that took the brunt of that explosion is difficult enough, and that hammer-wielding monster's going to come in and cave her head in at any moment... Wait. Wasn't Haguro supposed to be proving herself here? Glancing around briefly to check her surroundings, she stops in place and stares right at Vay Molta with a terrified glare in her eyes. Her teeth are chattering, her legs are barely able to keep her in place, but she somehow manages to keep facing the Grineer. Biting back a pained cringe, she raises her right arm slowly towards the Grineer as if she was... Challenging them to a test of strength?
Gaonoir	The drone spirals out of control, but the few moments of opening is all Nok needs to capitalize on. The shotgun bellows loudly, catching Gaonoir in the shoulder with enough force to stagger the Digimon a moment, snarling at the pain. Though it's hard to tell how effective the acid in the rounds are. What's beneath his 'flesh' is only an inky blackness in itself. Several more barking blasts ring from the auto-shotgun, forcing him to hold up his gloved fists in front of his face to shield it as best as he can. The acidic rounds burst on impact, resulting in a cloud of noxious vapors from the detonations. When the smoking blasts start to dissipitate, the canid is gone. Blown to bits, pun intended? Did Nok score the first kill to ensure the death of a traitor... ... Except for the form that quite literally appears behind him, stepping out of the gladiator's own shadow. Gaonoir used the distraction of the gun blasts and his shadowstep ability to get behind Nok while it looked like he was blasted away. Which is why there is abruptly a gloved fist arcing at the gladiator's head from behind him. Gaonoir may look small, but those stout limbs are exceptionally strong for the size. And contrary to popular believe, no needing to yell out attack names, that would give away the ambush!
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa has got a bit baked she can feel her body heating up and there's sizzel from it as well. The sickening sent of plastic melting and other like materials but she keeps moving she tries to not scream she has to not show weakness against the Grineer like this. She will not trash talk, but she will not show weakness either. The bomb had done it's damage but she can keep going and she will keep going she pushes through the pain and doesn't yet turn of her tactile sensors either. She knows she'll take even worse damage in all likelyhood if she does that but she's got to do what she can. She shifts now dodging around and using the terrain of the arena to open fire on Zura sending sprays of bullets at them as she bounces about like some kind of jumping bean. She prays that Maaka, Lin and everyone else is all right but she has to keep moving and focus on her own battle.
Lin	This... this would be a problem! It very well would be... for most people. Lin's eyes widen during the charge, her mind racing with decisions and instincts demanding different actions. Faster than the eye can see she sheathes her sword. In the span of time between heartbeats she's briefly visible in totality, skidding to a half in full defiance of the laws of inertia a mere 5 meters in front of the 'closer' Harkonar. A brief meditation focuses her Essence, body and soul moving as one with the sword an extension of herself... "Single Point Shining Into the Void Style-- Void-Slicing Wind!" Her own form wavers. Before the next heartbeat there's a lethal rasp of drawn steel, and Lin's sword traces a brilliant arc through the air - an Arc that threatens BOTH of her potential targets. She's blitzing past - possibly THROUGH - both of them?! Yeah. The decoy manuever is a problem, but not as much as its user might hope. The question is whether the real Harkonar can deal with this, with Lin's attention giving equal care to both targets!
Kushiko	It's true, Grineer are simple minded. There is... a very troubling revelation however, as Maaka soon discovers: the high technology and esoteric healing abilities Dok Thul uses to aid his fellow Executioners is very resilient, much like the armor. A quick exchange in that rough Grineer tongue and Dok Thul is moving to go attend to the recently downed Garesh as the shield /does/ come down--looks like such a thing was temporary at least, the spherical shield of amber energy winking out into nothing. One of his drones, however, is caught in the earlier blast and drops like a puppet with it's strings cut, exploding shortly after. But the others remain--one of them zipping over to the fallen Garesh and emitting a wavering ray of greenish energy, pulsing into his body. He begins to stir once more. That may become a problem: Dok Thul is DEFINITELY their combat support and medic and hopefully maybe the squishiest of them all, short of Garesh. A problem that Alexis may not get the chance to deal with as Gorth switches off to Ack and Brunt, raising the shield--electromagnetic energy and plating becoming active on the former Nightwatch trooper as he looks over it. The hulking Grineer gestures with the Ack as though to say, 'Come get some, little girl.' Haguro is technically faring pretty well. Technically speaking at least, though her open 'challenge' to the sadistic Vay Molta does not seem to get the effect she was hoping for. The Grineer's lower face is twisted, fleshless--cybernetics of an ugly grey steel covering it that twists her lips into the ugliest sneer ever. Eyes with black scelera glitter with pure malevolence as she lifts her hammer--and spins it. And that's when there might be even more due caution--it was easy to see the main head of Jat Kittag as she brought it down, but now the reason for Vay Molta's speed is revealed--her variant is a twin-headed kind, and the spinning motions allow the dual set of engines to give greater speed and centrifugal force as she erupts into a loudly grotesque /cackle/ as she hurls herself at Haguro, spinning the twinheaded hammer at her with deadly intent, energy and light trailing from the heads as she does so! Nok on the other hand may be thinking he is officially too old for this shit. The size and disposition of Gaonoir would make the average Grineer laugh in delight and try to smash his face in. Nok was not an average Grineer--his retirement to live out the rest of his days Judging those who stood trial at Rathuum was earned from his long service and near impeccable record. As such, he does /not/ in any way believe his quarry is down when Gaonoir seems to fade into that noxious vapor left behind by his shotgun blasts. He's switching out the spent drum on his Sobek when he senses--too late--what Gaonoir has done. Energy surges through his arm--channeled by the armor into a powerful blow as he attempts to twist out of the way. It would've hit the ground--but unfortunately for Nok, Gaonoir's ambush wins out, sending medium armored Grineer off his feet and into the wall, crashing against it and practically bouncing off it and rolling to a stop, face down, a growl escaping him. <<"Not bad, whelp. You got some teeth to you.">> His voice is gravelly as /hell/ and despite all signs of these guys being bastards, there's a hint of old honor in this Executioner. A hint. Not much, really. Now, Kela is annoyed--especially as time progresses with the lack of seeming progress, indeed, as Nok falters under Gaonoir's assault, it's enough for her to growl out through grit teeth: "This isn't basic training, THIS IS RATHUUM. Get out there and DELIVER YOUR JUDGEMENT!" Such words spur Nok for the moment, the Grineer lifting himself up and spitting out darkened blood as he opens fire with the Sobek once more.
Kushiko	Where Kotone and Kushiko are concerned as it comes down to their engagement with Zura is an interesting little slog--the hyekkas would probably overwhelm a single opponent, but both of them working in tandem to keep hyekkas and their master off balance is working out to be a swell little tactic. Concern cannot be shown by Nova in the traditional fashion--thus when she falls under fire by Zura's firebomb, the effect it seems to have on Kushiko is instantaneous. More to the point, the shotgun is whipped out, and two blasts literally /mutilate/ three of the hyekka--the bladed rounds biting deeply and the proximity resulting in them dying /very/ violently, corpses actually /thrown/ across the arena: at least when they don't hit the nearby wall. Well. ...parts of a corpse anyways. This gets Zura's attention--opening her up almost perfectly for Kotone to lay into her, the bullets slamming into her body and making her stagger at first, and she's made all the more vulnerable due to the dwindling number of hyekka able to serve her. She makes a howling noise, cackling as she seems to be about to summon more Hyekka... time to finish her while she's open like this! Kushiko however cannot devote attention to that, comming quickly to Kotone in the interim as energy surges through her feet and sends her up and over towards where Dok Thul and Garesha are as she snaps open her shotgun and reloads. Gotta get that healer. And on the subject of vulnerable potential targets, Harkonar is one of these things, but only barely. The kneeling figure of Harkonar doesn't move except to train her weapon on the approaching Karal. But that meditation, that essence--and then the most unexpected thing happens. The gambit should've worked--but when someone can attack both of them at the same time? ... not as much. As such, when Karal blitzes through the figures, the one that was standing seems to shatter like glass, the violent physical force being something that can't handle it, a glittering reflective rainbow light spilling out of her as it pops back out of existence. The sniper, on the other hand? ... slides. Well. The upper half does, viscera and guts not even having the chance to actually dislodge from the rest of Harkonar's body as she simply collapses, one part of her body going one way, the other simply crumpling into a heap.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka curses, growling as her EMP whiffs. "Scrub that idea." Her HUD marks Dok Thul for reference, but Kotone may have that one in hand. <<You got your target, Kotone. Kill him!>> She's definitely not in the mood to dance around that solution, as usual. She lands to the ground, getting in close for taking on Gorth. She pumps the shotgun again, charging as she levels it and opens fire upon the Grineer as they close the gap between them. If it comes to it, her armor's tough, and her shotgun tougher. It's a big and heavy piece, may make a good club.
Gaonoir	"And you have a hard head," Gaonoir replies as he clenches and unclenches the gloved paw he punched with a few times. "Also your reputation is well merited." Not that he knows anything of said reputation beyond these are some of the baddest asses of the badasses, but that's more than enough. A little honor amongst warriors midst battle is something any digimon can appreciate. To a degree. He's not letting his guard down though, mid-fight compliments or not. That's the sort of opening his foe would be looking for. Hell that's the sort of opening -he- would look for. The shotgun comes up and Gaonoir leaps into action, though some of the shot still nicks him even as he moves. He lands paws on the wall of the corridor and actually -runs along it- a few strides, the auto-shotgun blasts stitching the surface behind him way too close to comfort. But the canine's sharp ears are listening to the shots, counting the scat seconds between them... Then at the gap he kicks off the wall, arcing into the air as he curls into a somersault. That only starts spinning faster as he's surrounded in crackling black and purple digital energy. "ROLLING COUNTER!" That hurtles towards Nok like a shadowy comet.
Kotone Yamakawa	This entire brawl has been one big challenge the Grineer are dangerous, these are some of their best and most vicous troops they have here. She does not take them lightly as she manouvers about the fight she knows Zura's going to be not an easy take down. She smirks for a moment as an idea hits hwr however as she sees the Nova Moves and then she gets opebning which has let he score a pretty good hit. The remaning hyekka are thinning out, she now has now has to end this, reloading her weapon she moves in quickly trying to get clos and she's going to end up doing something else to get up in the Grineer's face and pur her cyberentics to use. Kotone is goint to attempot to one deck her to hopefully get her off balance and then fire off a point blank burst. The rounds open fire but will her weapon be able to breach the Grineer's armour enough at this range?
Haguro	If this had been any other opponent, Haguro's plan might have worked the way she was hoping it would. Unfortunately, Vay Molta is not like that at all. The bait goes... Sort of taken, but perhaps it's a blessing and a curse for the heavy cruiser that it is. Kela's call to finish things actually brings her mind out of her nigh-constant fear response, though, and she fights the urge to run again in favor of staring down her opponent. Vay Molta is fast. Way faster than she has any right to be with that stupidly souped-up hammer. Trying to take her down in a feat of strength won't work, and those explosions mean Haguro's unlikely to get away even if she tries running again. Instead, she waits until mid-spin before thrusting her left hand forward, then firing off a cloud of explosive flak between the two of them. "You... You wanted judgment? Th-then here it is!" She shouts defiantly, whether it's at Kela or Vay Molta or even the audience, then runs right /at/ the cloud of explosive flak between her and the Grineer executioner. The cloud of flak isn't going do Vay molta any favors if she charges through it, and Haguro herself is inhaling sharply at the burns covering her as she slides through the cloud of flame and shrapnel to try and get under the Grineer. Her gambit doesn't stop there, the single working gun on Haguro's left shoulder aiming above her at where she can only hope Vay Molta's midsection still is and firing a shell there!
Lin	Down goes Harkonar! Lin skids to a halt a good 5 meters past her target, blade clean of the blood she just spilled. The steel blade's neatly replaced in its scabbard as she rises... and only once it CLICKS into place are the results of her strike made known. Harkonar tumbles to the ground in bloody pieces. "What a waste, settling grudges with swords instead of words... but I didn't make these rules. Alright..." Lin about-faces to cast her fierce gaze over whoever might be left. "Who's next?"
Kushiko	On the one hand, Maaka's blasts from her shotgun are pretty damn good--the force of impact making the absurdly armored Gorth need to brace himself a bit more, the amber energy flickering across the layered plating of Brunt. He susses the timing--and before he works to close in, he throws a grenade at Maaka instead--a slowing grenade pretty similar to the effect of the Frost Warframe's Freeze effect to create a patch of ice underneath her before closing in with a vicious axe swing! Friggin' walking tanks, am I right? Shame. Nok was actually pretty genuine in two ways: one, Gaonoir did have some teeth to him, and he was equally hoping for him to drop his guard for an opening. Yeah, Nok was a wily mothertrucker and against this melee fighter the veteran Grineer needed to be on guard. Satisfaction comes with his shots finding purchase on the Digimon. Agony finds him when Gaonoir comes hurtling /at/ him. But with his wounds from the previous impact and Dok Thul's drones unable to reach him in time, it's all he can do to brace against the impact. Which is to say, not as well as he'd like. A pain-ridden cry escapes him, a low and strained hiss as he brings up an arm to preserve his Sobek from being damaged or worse--destroyed, forcing him to a dagger. He may not need worry, as it's emptied from Gaonoir counting shots. He goes /flying/ from that impact--and the body of the Grineer impacts /hard/ against a bulkhead, bending back against it at an unusually /awful/ angle, before his body falls still once it reaches the ground, still simmering from that black-purple energy. Dead or not, he's down for the count, something that causes Kela to seethe over the broadcast, "What are you maggots DOING?! You're /embarassing me/." There's some booing over the Executioner's poor performance, but some cheers, ironically mixed in it. Grineer do love their violence, that they do. Vay Molta hears your explosive flak. She just doesn't care. The display by Haguro was enough to momentarily forego logic in the opportunity to smash--in her eyes--something /fleshy and weak/ and to exult herself in the ULTRAVIOLENCE of it all. Pity, however, that said flak catches her directly as she spun and hurtled forward, sending her /horribly off balance/ and off-target in almost perfect form. And by perfect form we mean she's /blasted/ out of the flak cloud and slammed against the ramp by it. She's starting to move, however, though her movements are sluggish compared to before as her dual-ended Jat Kittag makes a rattling CLANG from being knocked from her grip. Her jetpack begins to ignore as she does pull out a rifle--a Grakata with which she fires wildly in the direction of where she last thought Haguro was. In theory. Her aim might be stupidly wide given how much that cannon shot /hurt/. Even if the pain /thrills/ her as much as it might infuriate the vicious combatant.
Kushiko	This has been an utterly vicious brawl, this much is for certain--no one is left unblooded--there's a hint of it falling off of Nova as her shields flicker back to life--an errant shot, perhaps from Dok Thul as he began to try and cover his comrades. Garesh is back on his feet--not the best condition, but enough to become a newfound threat again. On the brighter side, however, Kotone's own efforts versus Zura finally bear fruit--between her and Kushiko, the Hyekka Master was put off guard--if only just. The cybernetically-enhanced punch very nearly misses her--the armoring and her movements resulting in Zura not getting the full impact. But she can't avoid that pointblank burst /breaches/ that armor violently, blood and viscera erupting from her as she's launched off her spindly cybernetic legs and into an opposing bulkhead, slumping lifelessly in the aftermath. There's more work to be done--and with Garesh on his feet, the Twin Basolk wielding Grineer is first on that list for Kushiko, the Tenno vaulting up and over from where she was as Zura falls, launching herself into the air--and /gliding/, very nearly. Which is perfect for avoidance /and/ firing her Sancti Tigris into Garesh as she 'flies' by, having accumulated the burst of momentum from her leap to do so, the bladed rounds /cutting him in half/. ...That is a shotgun, alright. Unfortunately for Karal, surrender is not something even remotely on the minds of the Grineer here, or anywhere /else/ for that matter. That's just how indoctrinated and xenophobically /bred/ for combat they are. Kela interjects on the monitor, "What is this a FASHION SHOW? Someone smash her face in for standing around like one of those Snakes!" Snakes, in this case being a euphemism all Grineer tend to have for the Tenno. Might be neat to ask about some time. Regardless, the only ones standing (relatively) are the following: Gorth, Dok Thul, and Vay Molta, if barely. Time to try and clean this up and cement the defense of the Accused!
Haguro	Haguro shields her head with her left arm as those bullets start spraying from the injured Executioner's Grakata, crying out in pain as the bullets draw blood (or is it oil?) on top of the injuries Haguro's already sustained from Garesh's axes earlier in the fight. She's cut up everywhere, her clothes are a mess, only half of her weapons are still even attached to her... And yet, she can still feel victory drawing near. The thrill of the fight. Actually managing to survive a fight on her own for once instead of riding everyone else's coattails. (She'll have to thanks the Tenno later for handling Garesh.) Although the fight's not over, her aim is much better this time around now that she's not being chased by a madwoman with a jet hammer. Still, all those bullets it's spraying out is rather scary, but what's scarier is the possibility of Vay Molta getting away to /continue/ flinging bullets everywhere. "Please hit... Please hit...!" Holding her breath as she takes aim once more, Haguro fires another volley of combined flak and a cannonfire at Vay Molta, hoping to finish her off before she can do any more damage to the prone cruiser.
Gaonoir	This is probably the point where the crowd expects him to punch the Grineer in the chest and rip out his heart (or closest similarity to) or some other barbaric display of victory... But no. That is not the kind of warrior Gaonoir is, at least not any more. These Executioners may be massive badass tools, but they are only doing their job, put upon them by a tyrant. That he can respect.... Remembers him of some of the Royal Knights, really. And then he scowls. Though it's not at his foe being down and unable to fight. Gloved paws clench again, fangs clenched in a snarl at Kela's shrieking. "The only thing you should be embarassed about," he growls out as he steps away from Nok's collapsed form, "is not being able to accept that they might actually lose!" A gloved paw is raised to point at whichever projection Kela's ranting is coming from. "A -good- leader would acknowledge they are putting their best effort into combat with unfamiliar foes, instead of shrieking like a crippled banshee at the floundering of the little game she concocted because she can't accept that, hey, some people don't -want- to be ruled by her!"
Alexis Maaka	Slowing down, Maaka growls as she tries to power through the effects of Gorth's little surprise. "Not bad, not gonna save you though!" She barks, only to catch a nasty axe-cut across her breastplate, the blade cutting deep enough to reveal a deep gash and trails of blood. She hisses and howls, gritting her teeth as she tries to regain her mobility. Whether the grenade's effects wear off or not, Maaka decides to go for more hand-to-hand strategies, as she produces two weapons after dropping her shotgun; Her progressive knife, and her grappling wire. THe latter is used first, snaring the Grineer's neck like a noose. The fucker's an immovable object, meaning Maaka gets creative, as she notices a few gaps in the Grineer's armor. Using her suit's boosters, she propels herself toward Gorth, roaring as she delivers a fearsome running knee, followed up by a flurry of punches, her knuckles providing a nasty shock with each hammering impact. Only then does she activate the knife, and the blade hums with intense vibration as she drives the blade into Gorth's chest, between plates of armor, and she carves at his flesh like she were cutting up a holiday ham. There is blood, everywhere, and she screams with rage as she rips the knife free and stabs Gorth in several other places, all of them vulnerable points on his armor. "TAKE IT, DON'T MAKE ME BEG!" Yeah, she's pissed, or at least caught up in all the excitement.
Lin	Lin's teeth snap together almost hard enough to throw off sparks the moment she hears that criticism. "Not like it's hard to string together some logic here. A group of you want to leave. And this pisses you off, so you want them dead. But now you're facing US! Even in the best outcome you can hope for, you're losing both the people you call traitors AND plenty of those you sent into this arena, and you -maybe- get a few of us while you're at it. Seems pointless and unprofitable for everyone involved!" "I'm already bored, if that's the best you've got. Yeah! Come on, someone. Hurry up and come here, try to smash my face in!! HURRY IT UP ALREADY, I'M RIGHT HERE!!" With that roared out she hunches down and SUNLIGHT BLAZES from her skin, the eight-rayed sunburst holy emblem of the Sun's Warriors burning into visibility on her forehead! Once again she enters a blur-speed dash, seeking to go back up Kotone Yamakawa - who she knows to be perhaps not be quite the heaviest hitters amongst her allies...
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa hears Maaka over the comm and sees Karal Rei Lin do her thing, the exalted did always put her a bit on edge. Given they walked right out of Greek and Babyloian myth after all all Heroes of that type were not good. They were Heroes for being free of fate. Still she wasn't afraid of Lin, or hated her she just got the level of power the exalted could throw about and it was still staggering. She however would focus on bringing down Zura in conort and she watches htem drop to the ground. She takes no joy, no pleasure in in this. This is the local law and how they have to do it, thankfully? This is a far lower body count than the other means to do it. She turns from the fallen Zura not wanting to think about it more. Kotone as she had started to do more often in a fight, act not think too hard, respond and fight. It's time to end this and she knows it, there's a lot of lives riding on this fight after all. She will take no joy, she will find no pleasure and maybe that's why she ended up where she has? She cloaks again and gets that Lin's backing her up, she she's not a heavy hitter, yet? She's certainly not the bystander and speed bump she used to be several years ago. She can be more but she's come a long way moving to seek out one of the remaining Grineer who are still standing, namely Dok Thul intending to sneak up close and let lose an up close attack again.
Kushiko	Man, the sight of Haguro being blooded (so to speak--oiled? ... no.) up like that had some Grineer on the edge of their seats, especially as the tension rose between her and Vay Molta as thjey fought to the death. The prone cruiser's last salvo is precisely what's needed--especially as one of Dok Thul's drones was hit in the crossfire of firepower and unable to render assistance to the wounded Grineer. Quite frankly, the damage Haguro can put out is several times larger than what Vay Molta can do with her single Grakata, and it shows as a howl of pain erupts--and dies--just as quickly and much like Vay Molta herself does, the Grineer's armor mangled and sizzling with scorchmarks and cannonfire remains. One more down: two to go. Gaonoir on the other hand, as he takes a moment to rest--and taunt back at Kela--gets to understand one thing about her if nothing else is that the concept of 'good leader' does not really exist in Kela de Thaym's book. Really, for her most of the maggots of the Grineer were just that to her. Endless supplies of cloning and more tended to skew's one perspective. The yellow eyes of Kela focused for a moment through one of the projectors floating by on the Digimon. "What softheaded /nonsense/ is this? Do not think you've /won/ here and now. You and yours may think you have a chance of exonerating those /traitors/ but I assure you, this is not over." For a few fleeting moments, she seems to relent, but there's a dangerously forced calm in her voice as she continues. "Then again, maybe you will have the HONOR of having your tiny neck snapped by /the/ Kela de Thaym!" It's kind of nice that the Digimon is distracting her--she might be even more furious or disappointed by what's going on elsewhere--what with Vay Molta's fiery, bullet-ridden demise as Kushiko lands--well, rebounds, off a nearby bulkhead-slash-pillar in order to launch herself over to where Haguro was in order to help the prone cruiser--and as needed, to give her an infusion of misty energy from her palm to help surge her systems. Look, it's the Void, ain't gotta explain shit. <"Up and at 'em, you going to be okay?"> the Tenno resonantly projects, offering her hand while keeping the other on her shotgun--just in case. In the meantime, Karal and Kotone have the attention of Dok Thul and Kela in differring ways. The last remaining drone of his attempts to zap and taze at Karal, but it seriously does not stand a chance with both of the Elites there with Karal there drawing attention from the cloaked Kotone. "Oh ho you /really/ do want this huh, well you're going to have to EARN THAT HONOR, especially since you're with the /snakes/ here." Dok Thul's Hind doesn't really stand a chance of fending off the pair--after all, with Karal providing such a /marvelous/ distraction from her rush up, the somewhat /squishier/ Dok Thul is caught completely off guard by the cyborg and the blast sends him staggering forward, knees buckling as he collapses. Probably /only/ knocked out. For now.
Kushiko	And then there's the matter of the Juggernaut that is Gorth versus Alexis Maaka. If Gorth's face could be seen past that helmet, the Nightwatch soldier would be /grinning/ as he moves in to add on to the pain he began with Ack. What is most surprising however to him was not the attack that came after, but how much like a Scorpion grapple that wire reminded him of. He braced himself to attempt to grab ahold of it as it lodged against his armor, but when Alexis used it to /bring her closer/ so she could hit him with her sword, well, that puts him on even faster defensive footing. It would help were it not for the cyborg's utterly relentless assault on his person--armor not quite holding out due to the sheer variety of places she strikes. Thus, when the progressive knife is brandished, it's an agonized cry and a sickeningly wet splrch as alloy plating buckles beneath it. That did it. He suddenly moves--carrying Alexis with him and into a column--and tries to simply SLAM HER into it--but the impact is not what it should be--to others? Yeah it looks like a violent impact as he presses Alexis against the column with his shield. He stops moving here, seemingly, instead of grinding her against it and simply drops to his knees, a wet, rattling noise escaping his throat as he slumps to one side, allowing for Alexis to unentangle herself from that massive figure. Which... well. That gets Kela's attention in full once more. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" she howls into the microphone, before finally announcing through gritted teeth--her expression one to be /treasured/ at the prospect of her Executioners being defeated and in more than a few ways--seemingly killed. "The /Snakes/ have won this round and may advance their defense to the next phase." This... is announced to almost thunderous /BOOING/--too bad, so sad for the Grineer. "The traitors get to /stay alive/ for another day." Yeah, she's not happy at all. Not quite perfectly won freedom, but time to truly /earn/ the defectors freedom has been won.
Gaonoir	"Looking forward to the day of seeing you -try-," Gaonoir retorts. But leaves the snark at that. As fun as taunting her is, he does realize Kela is right -- This is only the first of several fights to win that freedom. Or at least that's all he's got to say out loud. << Erika, >> he comments mentally, knowing his Tamer can still see and hear everything via the Digivice bound to him. << Get a screen cap of this >> He looks -right- at the display transmitting the twisted look of furious rage and disgust as Kela grapples with the fact that her minions lost. << It'll tide me over until I get to put a fist in the real thing. >> A moment later there's a low whistle. << What did you do to piss that one off? >> << I'll tell you about it when I get home. >> Seeing as the others have won their fights and Kushiko is already retrieving the exhausted botegirl, the digimon just turns and walks back out of the arena, tails of his headband fluttering dramatically in the lack of a cape to do so.
Alexis Maaka	As Gorth begins to breathe his last, Maaka, not one to let him die peacefully, breaks his neck. It's a quick and brutal show of death, her hands grabbing him by the head and twisting at a disgusting angle, a loud CRACK announcing the disconnect between skull and vertebra. She pulls her knife free from Gorth's gut, sheathing it, and the body slumps to the ground like a sack of potatoes, Maaka showing absolutely no regard for her kill. "Got your number, bitch." She says, laughing a bitter, spiteful laugh at the screen as she looks Kela in the eyes. Oh, they're just getting -started- with this farce of a trial. By the end, the bodies are going to be piling up to the ceiling, knowing how the Grigs do things. "We'll be back to kill whoever's next, expect us." She adds, cold blooded, before retrieving her shotgun.
Haguro	Haguro's still breathing quickly from the adrenaline running through her, never mind how she's technically a spirit rather than a human. The important thing is that she's looking and feeling rather terrible in her present state, but the latter is alleviated somewhat between being able to finally claim victory over the fallen Grineer and Kushiko's assistance in standing with that misty substance helping to get her back up. "Y... Yes, I'm... I'm okay now. I'm not distracting you, am I? I-I'm sorry!" She's just about to bow reflexively to the Tenno, even, but stops herself when it looks like the rest of the Grineer are being eliminated as well. She grimaces again when Kela speaks, trying not to let her natural anxiety show after her and her allies' hard fought victory. "W... We won! You wanted this fight, so..." Haguro actually manages to put on a defiant glare for once, although she's not quite so versed in the witty retorts department. Instead, she just keeps glaring at Kela's screen as she gives Kushiko a light pat on the shoulder and moves over to where Vay Molta's armor and corpse lay. The ship girl stares at her fallen foe for several long moments, then gets on a knee to press a hand against what's left of that armor. "... You fought well." Try as she might, she can't bring herself to feel anger, although she can certainly feel sorry for them. Also, proud. Also, she's going to take a piece of whatever's left to bring back as a souvenir. Just because Haguro's honoring her fallen enemy doesn't mean she can't be a bit of a tourist while she's at it!
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is cable to take him down and she looks as Dok Thull goes down and goes down hard. Yes it was under handed but the Grineer had stacked the deck for this trial either way. She's staying with in their /laws/ after all as she brings him down and she delocaks making sure nothing else is left she gives Lin a nod of thanks. "I owe you one there good job on distracting him." She does however watches Kela's response to it and smirks a bit, why? She records everything she sees and will be able to call this up /right/ whenever she needs it. She takes comfort in that. <<Everyone all right I'm a bit ... cooked myself. At least I didnt' get my face melted off.>> Kotone doesn't say much but she does look at the crowd for a moment before she'll depart with the others.
Lin	Lin skids to a halt, taking a position next to Kotone after taking a moment to marvel at her handiwork. It earns a bit of a grin from the Solar. She's not about to underestimate that cyborg if they ever came to blows! Not in the slightest. The warrior of Grantine slows her charge to a halt and ends up looking towards the nearest speaker, grinding her teeth against the proceedings. "At least pretend to honor your own traditions. If you believe trial by combat makes right, you have nothing to complain about."
Kushiko	The job isn't quite done, but the job /here/ at the very least done in the interim. The brutal display actually /does/ get some fans--not that they're vocal, but they are there. There's a nice, gurgling splrt from Gorth's body in the wake of Alexis' brutal display. <"Nah, you aren't. We could tell you a story about distractions, but trust us, you are not distracting."> The voice does carry a faint hint of a smile, something that isn't displayable by the Tenno's Warframe, but the presence is there. Nonetheless, she stands aside to not just watch Haguro, but the others--she's contented by the sight of Kotone, Gaonoir, and Karal alike along with Maaka being in varying states of /stable/ and having won their own respective fights, or otherwise helped ensure the deaths of some of the other Executioners. As for what she gets off Vay Molta, there's that massive cybernetic attachment over her right eye which can be pulled free with little ease. Morbid, but there you go! <"Let's get some medical check out for everyone. Shouldn't take too long."> Kushiko projects. Plus the fact is, with the medical tech the Tenno had access to, they could do a VERY good job of stabilizing people. They might be a tiny bit sore from the memory of the pain, but they'll be fine otherwise. Kela is... /annoyed/ and answers some of the others through grit teeth, "Yes yes, take your victory then. Perhaps /you/ won't have anything to complain about when you and yours are found guilty through Rathuum in the next phase. Go, /get out of here/." Wouldn't be too difficult for the others to leave the way they came, disembarking on respective ships and other transports to depart the Grineer Galleon. Already there's a message from Cressa Tal, congratulating and she too, /enjoyed/ the look on Kela's face. Plus a general bit of encouragment and forewarning that it's not quite over, but none of the defectors have been harmed for the actions of the Tenno and the Elite in Rathuum. Good news, at least. Good job, everyone. The following has been delivered to your respective 'delivery' box: RATHUUM BADGE. ... seems that'll be a neat thing to wear on your shoulder if you people want. Or at least another souvenir!
Alexis Maaka	Maaka smirks behind her helmet, before she clutches her chest. <Yeah, medical might be good.> She mutters. Approaching Haguro, she gives the fleet daughter a gentle pat on the arm. "You did good, Haguro. I'm honored to be part of the fleet with you." She says, her tone warm enough to speak for itself, before she and the others take their leave. It would be so easy to just snag the fallen weapons, but Lotus points out that isn't the case. Oh well, there's always fabricating new ones later, assuming Kushiko doesn't mind sharing the resources to build them. It would be a damn good gift, that rocket launcher was snazzy. As she inspects the badge way later, as well as the messages with it, she smiles to herself, before slapping the sigil onto her armor accordingly, a sign of victory in the Rathuum.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks at the Exalted as she grins at her shenods seemingly glad she's on her side today. IF she ever has to fight Lin? She will not be doing it alone, that much is for sure but i may never come to that and she won't borrow troble. "Right lets get going we're done for today."
Haguro	Haguro, for part, does go for that cybernetic attachment! It's not as if she can use it, but at least it'll be a reminder for her. Plus, it doesn't seem as though the useful gear is going be salvageable, anyway, and she's DEFINITELY not going to take an actual eye or other body part. Slipping that attachment between an armor plate and her leg, she nearly jumps out of her skin in surprise when Maaka pats her."Ah! O-oh! Ma'am. We... We did well, didn't we?" For the first time since arriving here, she actually smiles back at Alexis and at Kushiko, then glances over at her other allies in this fight. She actually recognizes Gaonoir in passing from the seaport, although Kotone and Karal both get curious looks from the Cruiser. "We'll.. Be getting called to do this again, won't we? I-I'll trynot to slow the rest of you down that time, too." She sounds determined enough, at least, although it's another thing to actually pull that off once the time comes again.
Gaonoir	It's one step in the right direction for those people that are locked up, Gaonoir will take it that. "Eh... S'ppose it won't hurt to have someone look at this," he grunts, brushing some of the shotgun ash off his shoulder. "... Not sure what you folks will make of it, though." Then again, with all this tech around, a Digimon probably isn't going to be too strange. Smirks a little at Haguro's comment. "Yeah. Just lemme know when it's time to teach the next batch of these nullheads some manners."