James' otherwise blind strike was far from such - TS-DEMON, wonder of an operating system that it was, guided the blade even in his absence - and the gleaming emerald blade scythed off the Gablin's head, causing it to suddenly break off in its charge. Its thrusters flared, sending it spinning into a nearby asteroid, where it exploded violently, lightning up the debris field.
The remaining one doggedly clung on, charging the Genion - but the Punishers lashed out, the flurry of shots pulverizing the simple machine, shield proving little use against the concentrated bursts of Dimensional Energy that blasted it apart.
Back aboard the Rapunzel, Enfield leaned over the shoulder of a technician in the hangar, observing the technical readouts from the battle.
"How's the kid doing?"
"Efficiency is at around eighty percent. We'll wait until we see the final results before making any judgements, however."
Enfield let out a low whistle.
"Better than my first time, at least. Man, you don't even want to know the kind of deathtrap they had me-"
He didn't have time to finish. Suddenly, an alarm screamed to life, causing him to glance up... But, it was too late. A deafening explosion filled the air, lights flickering on and off in the hangar, as the ground shifted beneath his feet, roughly throwing him off balance.
Meanwhile, James' HUD would have bleeped a high energy reaction, the Genion's head unit turning reflexively as it detected... Something unusual. In the distance, a beam of sapphire blue energy came into view. It cut through the battlefield, through the debris - and smashed clean into the center of the Rapunzel, shearing the ship in half, as explosions rocked its form - yet, perhaps as a result of the ship's reliance on Dimensional Energy for power, its fuel cells failed to ignite, leaving its twin halves drifting helplessly.
The remaining Gablins assembled hurriedly, forming a protective wall between the source of the beam and the Genion, seeking to protect it at any cost - the training program hurriedly discarded in place of their ordinary combat protocols.
They were not alone, it seemed.
The remaining one doggedly clung on, charging the Genion - but the Punishers lashed out, the flurry of shots pulverizing the simple machine, shield proving little use against the concentrated bursts of Dimensional Energy that blasted it apart.
Back aboard the Rapunzel, Enfield leaned over the shoulder of a technician in the hangar, observing the technical readouts from the battle.
"How's the kid doing?"
"Efficiency is at around eighty percent. We'll wait until we see the final results before making any judgements, however."
Enfield let out a low whistle.
"Better than my first time, at least. Man, you don't even want to know the kind of deathtrap they had me-"
He didn't have time to finish. Suddenly, an alarm screamed to life, causing him to glance up... But, it was too late. A deafening explosion filled the air, lights flickering on and off in the hangar, as the ground shifted beneath his feet, roughly throwing him off balance.
Meanwhile, James' HUD would have bleeped a high energy reaction, the Genion's head unit turning reflexively as it detected... Something unusual. In the distance, a beam of sapphire blue energy came into view. It cut through the battlefield, through the debris - and smashed clean into the center of the Rapunzel, shearing the ship in half, as explosions rocked its form - yet, perhaps as a result of the ship's reliance on Dimensional Energy for power, its fuel cells failed to ignite, leaving its twin halves drifting helplessly.
The remaining Gablins assembled hurriedly, forming a protective wall between the source of the beam and the Genion, seeking to protect it at any cost - the training program hurriedly discarded in place of their ordinary combat protocols.
They were not alone, it seemed.