Isaac kept analyzing Dawn and the people waited for his assessment despite their incomprehension. "Almost perfection. I see the potential in him for something I've been striving for a long time. Filigree skin of bionic matter. Finely crafted Case. Is he Doctor Shen's product?"
"He was made primarily by her, yes."
"She was my best student. I deeply appreciated her work, so I didn't give her access to my best designs for no reason. Unfortunately, she did not choose to join OpTech."
***That means not only is Shen my maker but also...
Isaac.***
"Are we just gonna drool over him now or are we gonna see what the niño has in store for us? When you buy a new car, you want to see how it runs before you look at the engine, as my Abuelita would put it" Juan Navarro said laughing. When he grinned carefreely, his tanned skin around his eyes was slightly wrinkled, as was often the case with bon vivants.
"I don't think we need his kind anyway," Sarrmen interjected. "We have two excellent Sarrmen Battle Droids right here," he pointed ponderous at two chunky golems behind him, with a massive copper metal hull and reinforced armor under which they held retractable hooks. Their fists were equipped with a giant surge taser. They also created a barrier in a field around them with a generator in their housing.
"Then why not test out who's no longer needed?" McManus suggested.
Sarrmen shouted through the hall "Who of you is in the mood for a little entertainment" which was met with applause from the grandstands.
Dawn scanned his opponents.
" - - - - - SARRMEN Thunderfist 5.8b - - - "
" - - - - - - - Weapon I: Surge Fist- - - - - - - -"
" - - - - - - - Weapon II: Hook Trap- - - - - - -"
***They're different beasts than the war machine droids last time. ***
Isaac looked at Dawn in a concerned way.
"I'm so ready for a challenge, don't worry."
In the middle of the hall, a cage consisting of several electrical barriers was lowered from above, crashing down onto the transparent floor. Dawn and the two battle droids went into the ring.
Sarrmen yelled "100,000 blanks on my Thunderfists."
"I oppose it," Isaac Kovalev said with conviction.
"Fair enough!" Sarrmen agreed on the bet.
The room became dark and only the incandescent electric barrier illuminated the ring. The people in the stands exulted with joy. Dawn heard the turbines of his opponents rattling and he tested his own systems on his HUD.
" - - - - All Systems Combat-Ready - - - -"
***Finally, a fight where I have perfect conditions. I'll make the HMD proud and give this sleazebag Sarrmen the low-down he deserves.***
The Herald started counting down "3...2...1...Fight!"
***I have to dodge their hooks and they will hit me with the Surge Fist. Otherwise, I have the range advantage.***
The two Thunderfist robots simultaneously deployed their rope traps, but Dawn swerved between them with his Dodge Protocol, almost vertically in the air.
"Wow, I missed that."
In the same breath, he reached for his fusion pistols and switched them to energy projectiles, as the armor of the Combat Droids was possibly too thick for physical ammunition. However, their metal hull was easily overloaded. He aimed at the combat robots, which were just about to retract their hooks. They offered a large hit area, so hardly a shot in the small cage missed. However, they blocked these shots by increasing the size of their Thunderfists, which returned the absorbed energy as lightning bolts. Dawn's Dodge Protocol did not detect them because they were not categorized as physical objects. He was struck by lightning and he noticed a rise in temperature on his body, but no failures.
***Praise be to the Faraday Protection.***
Dawn still tried to stay out of reach of the robots, but they slowly approached him and cut him off. When he could only stay in a small ring corner, his thrusters activated and he could jump over the Combat Droids in a double jump. They were unable to hit him in the air, as they could not point their Thunderfist more than 60 degrees upwards.
***That's it!***
Dawn was extending his Jugem Blades in the air when a hook almost caught him. But by extending his blades he cut through the rope and the torn-off end flipped back onto the robot. With his jets on his arms and legs at full thrust, he moved over the battle droids, which were visibly having difficulty following him. But this did not go on for long.
" - - - - -Thruster Systems: 0% - - - - -"
" - - - - 25 seconds until reloaded- - - -"
For a short time, Dawn lost control over his case and he fell down between the two Combat Droids. Thereupon they hit him with their Thunderfists, one punch stronger than the previous one damaged his sensors, but his skin resisted. He rolled away to the side when a hook hit him. He felt an immense force pulling him across the ring and crashing against the electrical barrier. His skin was stained with light burns.
Sarrmen shouted, "You see, this is what I call a fighting robot."
But Dawn got up and got his thrusters back online. He leaped into the air and cut the rope that pulled him up. He then used his Universal Hand Grenade and activated the Electrostatic Discharge Pulse Mode.
"Surprise!"
He waited for an explosion but heard only a loud beeping noise before the droids stopped moving like they were paralyzed. He then moved into close combat range and slit through the incapacitated Thunderfists with the greatest of ease.
Dented and smoking, he left the battle droids behind when the electrical barrier was shut down. Dawn saw the priceless grumpy look of Sarrmen and Isaac's relief. The general congratulated him, "Well done, I think that was proof enough of your strength."
Eleonore Lebigot mocked "Somebody needs two new bodyguards" whereupon Sarrmen was the first to leave the hall angrily. The Herald closed the session "That was the last item on the agenda. Thank you for your participation. Remember to remain loyal to the Council."
Gradually the hall emptied until there were only two people left talking to each other. Erik, who left the loge by now and took off his helmet was discussing with Eleonore Lebigot.
***An unexpected combination. How well do they know each other?***
After they finished their conversation, Erik hastened to gather the Archetype Commando "It's not over for today. There is a bunch of work waiting for us in the lower districts. Get into the troop carrier, every second counts."