She’s a hell of a lot faster than Blaze was expecting. Where Dia moves with fluid grace, the Exo reacts with machine reflexes and force – even as she lets out a very human-sounding grunt of surprise. Sand flies as she slams to a halt, twisting to catch the strike on her shoulder guard. She’s not fast enough to actually avoid the sweep of that blade – nor was she expecting it to come from that angle. Even at a glancing blow it bites into her armor and carves a smoking gouge into the plate, fiercer than an arc blade and broader than an energy bolt.

She’s going to feel that as soon as she flexes her shoulder again. This saber is not a weapon to shrug off like so many others. Blaze isn’t stopping to take in the damage report, though. She wheels to track the nimble assassin. Got to stay moving. Tactical analysis second, hitting home first.

Which clearly won’t be easy. Her outpaced rifle is lowered as she opens her left fist to launch a grenade into Dia’s estimated path, try to slow her down. Not one of the Guardian’s usual flashbangs – she’s made one concession to the presence of an audience after all. This sparking ball of energy is aimed for the ground; where it lands it stays, pulsing waves of lightning in a radius of several meters around it.