The estimated duration of the fight was extended by the use of biotics on both sides, as they were able to create biotic barriers to serve as cover in the largely open room. However, once hostiles engaged from the second level, the situation deteriorated rapidly. The allied soldiers on the far side of the room, unable to maneuver or escape, were being cut down from above. The diplomats who were too far from the door were mostly unprotected, though the enemy seemed to be attempting to capture, rather than kill them. Those closer to the door were also being targeted, though they had a greater chance of escape.

Avatar maintained suppressing fire as much as possible, along with a Turian who had taken cover on the opposite side of the door. However, after only a few moments, another, recognizably different group of  five hostiles arrived on the second floor, opposite from the exit. Unlike most of the hostiles, they were uniformed, and filed into the room with much more coordinated precision than the local guards. At their head was the Asari Avatar saw in the lounge, who quickly instructed her soldiers to take up positions along the railings. Unlike the other local guards, who were acting without apparent central organization, the Asari’s team waited for her order, which came only an instant later. 

“Lock it down!” The Asari shouted, her gaze fixed on the open door. Avatar directed its combat drone to harass the leader and, at the same time, opened fire with its shotgun. The range at which it was engaging did diminish the effective impact of the shotgun blasts by approximately 23%, but even so, it detected less instability in her barriers than it would have expected. As well, she spotted the holographic orb immediately and dispatched it with a brief blast of biotic energy, before it could enter the range of its primary attack. 

The Asari’s soldiers were coordinated in their attack. As Avatar focused on their leader, the Batarian to her left fired a single shot from a high-powered rifle which found its mark on Avatar’s shields and depleted them immediately. The Geth was already ducking back into its cover position, but the Turian on the Asari’s right side had been ready to exploit the opportunity. He carried a semi-automatic marksman rifle, the first shot of which hit Avatar’s left side in a spot analogous to the abdomen. The round punched a hole roughly six centimeters in diameter through its platform, causing a momentary loss of power to its left leg that threw it off balance. It began to fall, but fortunately, its momentum caused it to fall back into cover. 

Avatar’s damage control efforts were immediate. It rerouted power around the damaged area through secondary circuits to regain control of its leg, then isolated and cut off the damaged tubes which were leaking conductive fluid out of the breach. Its self-repair systems also went into effect, though it could not fully-repair the hole without doing so manually. Avatar was again in full-control of its platform by the time it hit the ground, and it was well within acceptable operational capacity, but for any allied forces or noncombatants to survive, the door would need to be locked down quickly.