Senjen might have been able to shoot immediately, but Light had been hugging a bit too close to the inside column, and moving a bit too far forward, so there was too much of a risk of friendly fire. In the few moments that followed, Senjen was frankly surprised by what he saw. Light had been close enough when he ran into the droid that grabbing the weapon was not too much of a stretch, but remarkably, his suit was even able to keep the weapon at bay as he struggled over it with a war droid. Granted, Light grabbing it by the barrel did give him an advantage in leverage, but still, he had no idea that QV suits could have so much power behind them. It certainly did not look like it from appearances.

In any case, while these thoughts were running through Senjen’s mind, he pushed off of the wall in Light’s direction to give himself an angle to shoot down on the droid from above, without Light in the way. It was unlikely to be especially armored from directly above, and the repeater was stronger than his pistol regardless. Since he still was having to shoot one-handed, he locked his elbow to keep the arm steady right before firing, then shot a burst right down the center line of the droid’s frame from straight above.

The droid released a black disc that produced a shield above, but couldn’t get it into position before a few beams from the repeater carved straight through it. Its grip on its own weapon weakened slightly, and Light took the opportunity. Holding onto the weapon with one part of his suit, he took back control of his pistol poking through the front of his suit. His own little manipular flaps pulled the trigger six times, pumping the droid’s abdomen full of .44 rounds.

The droid stumbled backwards then fell down the flight of stairs, leaving Light clutching its assault weapon. A small panel slid open in the middle of its chest and a small flashing red orb emerged.

“I will not be captured. I may not be captured. I shall not be capturrrr-” The droid blared in a slurred voice as sparks flew from its wounds.

“Uh oh.” Light said, looking at Senjen.

Senjen was understandably terse when he recognized what was happening. “Get back!” Was all he shouted before he kicked off the ceiling down to the floor just behind Light. He had transferred his repeater back to his mouth so he could at least have one free hand. If Light glanced down, he might notice Senjen’s tail wrapped around the middle of his suit.

The “boss” had already been hanging back to allow the others to take the lead, so he and his daughter would have an easier time getting away, though Senjen would grab them along the way if they were too sluggish to react. They all just needed to backtrack up the stairs a bit to get a wall or two between them and the droid. When Senjen pushed off the floor to launch himself back, Light was yanked back along with him. He could take full advantage of the zero-G environment to leap off the walls at the best speed possible, even if it did end up with Light getting smacked around a bit behind him. It was better than the alternative.

“No, go through to the trading floor!” The boss gestured back down the stairs and to the right with his free hand. The able-bodied droid from the floor above was pressing them heavily, having already dispatched one of the soldiers.

Then there was a deafening crack from below, and the stairs crumbled beneath them. Masonry dust coated Light’s suit as he bounced off the ceiling then into the debris cloud. The stairwell below was completely blocked by rubble, but the half-landing with the two other doors was partially intact.

“Let's move! Fall back!” The boss said, grabbing onto his bodyguard who kicked off the wall and propelled them towards the right-hand door.

Light looked morosely at the blockage, thinking quickly whether they may be able to dig their way out. But with desperate fighting going on merely a few metres away on the upper level there just wasn’t time.

“We can take the atrium or try those offices perhaps?! I don't think going back is an option!” He shouted, still stunned by the cacophony of loud noises around them lately.

Above all, in situations like this when every second mattered, it was important to be quick and decisive. The Human had already made the call to move through the trading floor, and it seemed as good of a plan as any. Neither Senjen nor Light knew the layout of this place, and he figured the Human at least should know how to get them to their destination. The bodyguard was going along with it, so it would probably at least get them closer to where they needed to go.

Once clear of the explosion, Senjen had unwound his tail from around Light. Outside of emergencies, it seemed to be better to let him move on his own. He had not expected the QV to be as maneuverable as he was, and it seemed like he had been underestimating what QV suits were capable of. It did not feel intuitive that they would be so capable out of the water, but he supposed the whole point of technology was to overcome natural limitations. Now that Senjen was out in the galaxy, it was a reminder of how dangerous assumptions could be.

First and foremost, Senjen still needed to keep Light protected, so he stuck close by him and gestured for him to follow through with the others onto the trading room floor. It was more open, but hopefully they could move more quickly through it. Still, he kept a lookout for any potentially quicker exits. If there were any damaged windows here that the gunship was not paying attention to, then they might be able to escape through some of the neighboring buildings. The attackers might be more hesitant to shoot up other buildings indiscriminately, especially if they belonged to other organizations.

The fourth floor was almost identical to the fifth floor and was in utter carnage. Off to their right, the gunship fired indiscriminately through the windows. A few of the windows on the left side were damaged but none were broken.

The kitchen staff were armed and hunkered down behind the central kitchen as debris exploded all around them. Booth-to-booth gun fights were in full effect in both aisles. There were several fires raging where droids had exploded.

The boss had already kicked off from the doorway and was floating low to the ground towards the large central atrium, with the bodyguard scrambling to catch up. It seems he had recovered from his earlier hesitance and was now hellbent on escaping at any cost.

The old woman that Senjen was carrying gurgled and shook weakly.

Free from Senjen’s grip, Light smooshed himself flat to the floor and slithered across it like a fast moving puddle with an assault weapon held by a manipulator on the top of it. He fired wildly in the direction of the gunship.

“Wait for us!” Light called as the man approached the low wall surrounding the atrium. When he was less than three metres away, a droid floated up directly in front, grabbing the wall to haul themselves over. The man collided heavily with the droid and they floated out into the atrium as they grappled together. The bodyguard raised his revolver but couldn’t get a shot so he also pushed off into the vast empty space and raced to reach them.

Honestly, Senjen was wishing that the Human would go back to being a passive follower at this point. The man was pushing far too quickly into the open for his liking, but he had to keep his focus, especially once he inevitably ran into one of the droids. Senjen too took aim, but it was pretty much impossible to get an angle from his position on the droid that would not just penetrate straight through to the Human.

Senjen got down low and dashed over to Light. The old woman in his arms was still moving, still alive, but he needed both hands for this. As quickly as he could, he pushed her up against Light’s suit. “Keep to cover and hold on to her. She’s still alive.” He messaged the QV. With his hands free, Senjen could be much more maneuverable, and besides which, Light had more limbs to use.

In the moment, Senjen could not afford to wait for a response. He did not skip a beat to rush over towards the edge of the atrium. The bodyguard had already leaped off towards the boss, but Senjen could not just blindly do the same. Or rather, he shouldn’t. He had to trust that the bodyguard was a competent professional. Instead, Senjen first scanned the area looking for any other droids that were paying attention to the boss or his bodyguard, as they were out in the open. His repeater was powerful enough to destroy these things, and he could give them cover to stop the bodyguard from being shot dead before he could even reach the pair to help.

Light had just reached the booth from which the boss had leapt out into the atrium space and when Senjen stuck an elderly female to his back. She adhered to his suit the moment he became aware of her, and he turned to face her while they were behind cover.

“Your epidermis is badly burned!” He informed her as hung inert and unresponsive. Light cooled a patch of gel closest to the burn site and gently applied it, causing her to groan softly.

“We’ll find a qualified medical professional for you!” He assured her shakily, before looking round as his sonar pinged and heavy footsteps sounded just outside the booth. Light grabbed the weapon he’d taken from the last droid and fired out of the gap in the booth just as an injured waiter staggered past. The plasma bolt lifted him off his feet and he sailed back towards the stairwell.

“Oh, sorry!” Light warbled.

“Let's get out of here! Down to the next level!” He called to Senjen while covering his six.”

-

Out in the open, the boss grappled with the droid who appeared to be trying to wrestle the little girl out of his arms. She was screaming and crying as little girls did, and while the droid was evidently stronger, the man was holding on for dear life. He appeared to be searching for something in one of his pockets.

“Grab the baton!” He shouted to his bodyguard as they clattered into him, but they were already trying to put their pistol against the droid’s head over the top of the little girl. The droid saw the weapon and reached for their own sidearm.

Down on the ground floor by the front doors, a man in the same armour as the woman back in the suit shop looked up and spotted the commotion. He signalled for one of the three droids standing guard with him to push off up there and help.

Senjen could absolutely recognize that they were in a bad situation. If only the Human had not rushed ahead like that, but there was nothing that would change that now. The explosion had blocked the stairwell heading downwards, so that was not much of an escape route anymore. Still, Light was right: they needed a path out. “Okay, maybe there’s a quick exit? See if you can find us one. Any of those windows damaged enough to break through? I’ll see if I can help them.”

As he had expected, there were more droids coming. At least one that he could see. There was still nothing he could do directly for the Humans struggling with the droid; with them all grappling with one another, there was no way he could get a clear shot. He just had to hope that the bodyguard could do his job, and give them cover so they could have a fighting chance.

Senjen did not shoot immediately, but rather ducked behind the railing and scurried to a different point along the edge to take a different position. One of the droids had been floating up from below, and he needed to keep it from interfering. As quickly as he could, Senjen stood up, reacquired his target, and fired a burst from his repeater at the approaching droid. Then, just as quickly, he ducked back behind cover and dashed along the edge, out of sight, to take a different position.

The droid floating up from the ground floor activated their shield drone, which absorbed the burst of Senjen’s repeater fire before cracking. They quickly fired thrusters attached to its limbs and weaved rapidly through the air in a winding route to avoid being hit again. At that velocity they might overshoot the right floor entirely, or they might hit the Utaysi like a tonne of bricks.

Light poked his head out of the booth and spotted a droid approaching the kitchen on the opposite side. It was equipped with a similar weapon to Senjen, and was laying down a devastating curtain of plasma fire which was keeping the kitchen staff well and truly pinned. He fired at it, with limited success. He then turned the gun around and fired at the windows opposite where the gunship was wreaking havoc. The energy bolts still sloughed off without breaking through. Perhaps a heavier armament would do the trick…

The last exosuit soldier from before, the leader, staggered out from the doors leading back to the stairwell. Their body was covered in blood, though it wasn’t clear whether it belonged to them or not. The soldier pushed off towards the booth, spotting the boss and his bodyguard grappling with a droid towards the middle of the atrium.

Then all at once, three things happened. The bodyguard managed to plant his pistol square against the droid’s face, pushing the floating shield drone out of the way. He fired, putting a big hole in it. The droid then fired its own sidearm, putting an energy bolt clean through the boss’ thigh. He screamed like his daughter, white hat floating off his head to reveal a mat of greasy black hair. Then the boss flicked out the plasma baton he’d managed to extricate from his coat. It shimmered dark red and was instantly plunged straight into the droid’s chest. It jerked manically around, throwing them all downwards and back toward the side of the atrium Senjen & Light stood at. The red orb flashed, damaged within its chest.

Senjen did not try to face the oncoming droid head-on. Surprise hit-and-run attacks were the only way he felt he could get an advantage against these war machines. The droid was floating up from below, so it had been easy enough for him to back off and scurry along the floor to a different position. Although, he saw what was happening with the droid the boss and his bodyguard were struggling against, and it was just what he had been waiting for. He knew what happened when these droids died, and he was ready for it this time.

Having seen it before, Senjen had a good idea of the timer on the explosion, so he knew he had to be quick. By the time the droid had thrown off the Humans it was struggling with, Senjen had already launched himself as fast as he could towards the dying droid. He had originally intended to grab and throw it, but the fact that its spasms had pushed away the Humans gave him another option, and he made the snap decision to turn himself around in the air kick away the droid as hard as he could, transferring his own considerable momentum into it to send it flying quite quickly. Senjen aimed it towards the already-broken windows on the other side of the room, straight towards the gunship just outside. The reaction of the kick sent Senjen floating back in the opposite direction, and he used his RCS to try and boost himself back into cover.

The boss, his daughter and his bodyguard crashed untidily into a blackjack table and set of chairs on the level below. Chips sprayed everywhere. Energy bolts of different colours whizzed in every directions; it would be clear to Senjen that there was a major firefight on every floor. The three of them recovered their footing and stumbled towards the stairwell on the third floor, out of sight.

The robot Senjen kicked was down, but not out. In fact, after this, it was pissed. Nearly torn in two by the plasma baton, it tried to invert its trajectory to fly straight back at the Utaysi. But the thrusters on one side of its body sputtered and died. So instead it identified the closest targets to its current course - the kitchen - and sluggishly careened right into them.

The resulting fireball filled the area all around it. The soldier who’d emerged from the stairwell only just made it into Light’s booth before a wall of flames rushed past. Light shoved him to the floor and covered both him and the wounded lady with his suit. It screeched a shrill temperature warning at him.

The second droid meanwhile was about three seconds behind Senjen. They had chosen a fast ascent over a controlled one, and so when they raised their weapon and fired a continuous stream of energy it wasn’t pinpoint accurate. But it would still raise serious problems if it made a connection. The droid was locked onto a collision course.

Once the fireball receded, the soldier pushed Light off and clambered to his feet.

“FOLLOW. ME.” She instructed loudly and clearly through the deafening racket. Light grabbed hold of her exosuit so he wouldn’t lose her as she strode to the railing. Holding onto it, she vaulted over and accurately swung down and onto the floor below. Light saw Senjen and the droid approaching, fired at it but couldn’t make contact

“Senjen watch out!” He shouted, before practising as the soldier had done, swinging off the rail and onto the lower floor.

With his thrusters boosting him, Senjen came in quickly back to the floor with the others. He did not have time to look around and watch the results of the explosion. All he could really tell from what he could hear was that it had not gone off exactly where he had wanted, but that was not his focus. He hit the ground on all fours, holding his repeater in his mouth, and set off running the moment his feet found purchase.

There were shots around Senjen, maybe from the droid that had been flying up from below, but it did not matter as much as avoiding them. He was essentially skittering along the floor, dashing in zig-zags between the tables and seats. He felt heat, but whether from a hit or just proximity he was not sure. Much like organics, his frame’s onboard programming suppressed most pain signals during dangerous situations. He could do a diagnostic later; all of his limbs were working and he could still run. At running, at least, he was a natural.

Senjen heard the shout someone made to follow her. Whoever she was, he imagined anyone in range was going to do precisely that, and he was going to do just the same. Being that it was a restaurant in close to zero-G, the furniture was all bolted to the floor, so as he launched himself past one of the tables, he was able to hook his tail around one of the chairs to let him redirect most of his momentum and change direction towards the source of the voice. He would be flying in quickly, but even if his tactics had not gone quite to plan, he was still impressively agile, if nothing else.