The droids moved very quickly, their usual collision controls disabled. The one facing Nirann dropped its cannon, leapt forward and grabbed the Rothian’s blade arm near the wrist and at the elbow. The lights in the corridor flicked off, to be replaced by red emergency lighting. The corridor was full of scientific personnel, and most of them were not calm.

As the sword blazed through the droid’s right shoulder, it applied enough force to pick Nirann up and turn right, swinging him around 180 degrees. The droid ultimately aimed to throw the smaller robot back through the twisted fire escape exitway. If that worked, a third blackened droid was waiting with a sharp metal girder, torn from the wreckage, to smash Nirann to pieces. 

The second droid’s sensory array detected Vreta rushing up on it from the side. It rose up from its crouching position over the prone Skopec, lifting the Institute soldier up with one arm until he was struggling in mid-air. The robot then swung the Sergeant around, to put him between Vreta and itself. It would then try to club Vreta to the ground or back through the exitway with the combined mass of Skopec’s armour and the attached fire door.

There was pandemonium in the corridor, with scientists attempting to scramble back the way they’d came, often over each other. Institute operators were stuck in the melee, trying to get a clear shot on the assailants.

Masgard Xandrus didn’t try to flee though. His face was determined as he moved forward, trying not to get hit by either Nirann or the first droid as he went for the cannon.