Tar lit up the Hunter Killer’s shield in the dark with two shots from her carbine. Then she turned her gun sideways and chucked it forward. 

Her assailant paused on the top step for half a second, raising one arm to deflect the heavy object whipping toward him through the rain. He was taller than Tar, but not by much. He didn’t have much mass on her either, but he was astonishingly fast.

Seizing her chance while her opponent was distracted, Tar lunged forward and trapped his sword hand under her left armpit. The dual-tips buzzed behind her ear, her shields activated and the smell of singed metal assaulted her senses.

Pushing with all her might, Tar shoved the Hunter Killer up against one side of the door frame he’d just emerged from. Sheets of water poured over them from above. The male looked straight in her face from a few inches away and hissed. “So it [b]is[/b] you.”

His left fist smashed into the side of her helmet, blurring Tar’s vision and toppling them both over. While in free fall, the black-clad Hunter Killer jerked his sword free of Tar’s armpit. She crashed onto her back and her assailant leapt on top to pin her. She punched him meatily in the neck as his free hand pushed her chest down. Then she saw him raise his sword and plunge it towards her neck.

Raising her left hand on instinct, Tar caught the handle between the sword’s two deadly spikes. White-hot pain exploded on either side of her hand as the energy bit into her flesh. She roared.

The Hunter Killer leaned into his attack, pressing the blade closer to her head. “Deserting your…Keep, for that PATHETIC…excuse of a Kaidon.” He spat, growling as his weapon slowly came into contact with Tar’s armour plating.

Tar scrabbled frantically for her right thigh holster, her other arm still holding back the sword. But the Sangheili straddling her had his knee in the way of her Mauler. So she groped her arm out manically around her, searching for anything to use.

Despite the carnage and imminent danger all around him, the Hunter Killer appeared to be relishing this moment. He leaned in even more. “Such a shame you’re…too late to save…your brother!”

Tar growled, activating comms while he spoke. "Urgent target on my IFF." She whispered as quietly as she could. She wasn't about to let him escape.