2033 Olympics: EDC FFA

Madison Square Garden in New York! As its proprietors boast, it is the most famous arena in the world! And now it's a fairly famous arena in the entire galaxy as now space is being shared with the aliens who have come here to visit. Of course, the management is aware of the dangers of treating aliens as just being like humans with funny bumps on their heads, so they helpfully put up signs here and there to provide quick and easy tips on avoiding causing an incident that may provoke an interstellar war, such as "Miniature humans are not snacks, please do not eat them!"

One Zarshligar, a blobby alien with eyestalks, sees the sign, goes, "What? They're not? Oh, crap!" and quickly spits up a screaming ten year old girl, who runs off to look for her mother. "Sorry?" the alien says. Otherwise, though, the aliens manage to get along with the humans for the most part.

Meanwhile, in the mens' locker room, General Franklin Cross has donned black trousers--black as his moustache--and is using a jumprope to warm himself up. "Well, this is either going to be a spectacular fight or my greatest embarassment," he muses aloud. "But I've got to represent the Earth. Show the galaxy we're not afraid of a scrap."

"Permissions to speaks freely, Commanders," Lars asks Cross, lacing up his boots nearby. He's dressed in boxing gear, in highly patrotic (for Norway) red, white nad blue trunks. His physique is lean and wiry, but he has no doubt about his chances against any heavy infantry who show up. Those guys are ripped.

"Granted," Cross says as he jumps up and down over the jumprope.

Meanwhile over in the womans' locker room (they're not co-od? Damn Starship Troopers lied to us!), Talia doffs her stetson on top of her head and tugs it into place. Like you though she was going out without that? Considering this is a mono-a-mono free for all, she's dressed as one would expect of a country girl ready for a good ol' brawl. Jeans ruggedly cut off into shorts, flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, partially buttoned and then just tyed off at the midsection, and a pair of good ol' crapkickin' boots. And a pair of fingerless gloves with some padding so she doesn't beat up her knuckles too badly. Pause. Adjusts her hat again. "Good thin' Guard trainin' included self-defense." She throws a few quick mock jabs, then glances down at her waist. "Though Ah feel a right bit naked without a gun."

For some strange reason, Amber is here to watch. Well, it's not strange to anyone who knows her; she's here to watch Cross get his aft kicked. It doesn't matter who by: Talia, Melody, Lars, Velum, even Apocryphacius, if he's participating, as long as Franklin goes down. She sighs regretfully, for the first time wishing she were a real soldier, if only so she'd have the training to do it herself.

Melody Reynolds has arrived.

"A sinceres attempts, with a fairs chance for success, is never to be ashames of," Lars points out as he pulls his gloves on. "At the worsts, a good shows of force and determinations can make an enemies thinks twice about provokings you."

Meanwhile, inside the ladies locker room...

Lt. Melody Reynolds rolls her neck, and bounces back and forth on her heels. She's in field uniform, as always- one that's meticulously pressed (as always). She pauses, and then looks over at Talia. "For the record, I'm only here because I'm under orders." She deadpans. "...but if they have us wrestling in mud or jello or something, I'm out."

Velum has looked quite ill when she first entered the the woman's locker room, but a drink of the hair of the dog that bit her and she's back to normal. "Ah, don't worry, Talia, I'm sure your fists are just as dangerous." Velum chuckles softly while finishing a few stretches on long bench between the lockers, currently wearing a simple black sports bra with white trim, that serves as a shirt, and a knee-length pair of spandex workout pants.

With stretching routine complete, the Nebulan takes a seat and takes up a roll of fighters' tape, wrapping her hands and feet in the proper manner before slipping on a pair of what looks like sneakers, only lighter and more flexible. "I'm so glad they used an old roster for this. Ohh, Cross is gonna be surprised to see me." With that said she snatches up a ponytail holder from her bag and ties her hair up and out of her face.

Apocryphacius < Death Face > is not in any locker room. No, he's at the EMT stand, chatting with some paramedics and checking out the shock paddles. he keeps trying to convince them he could xtend the battery life if they'd just let him tinker a bit, but they are having none of it.

Wheelie accelerates out of the asteroid belt.

Wheelie has arrived.

Franklin Cross puts the jumpropes away as he also dons his UFC-style gloves. "Hm. That's true, Captain..." He pulls the last glove on tight. "But I prefer to win."

A male staffer pokes his head into the male locker room. "Alright, you guys are up!" At the same time, a female staffer pokes her head into the female locker room. "They're starting! Kick their asses, ladies!" Good thing they didn't get the genders wrong for those two or that could have been embarassing.

"Well, in any case, may the best man win, Mr. Daalgard!" Cross says as he exits the locker room, and begins striding towards the arena, which is set up like a giant octagonal arena, but instead of a steel cage encircling the arena there's ropes. This should provide the fighters with plenty of room to work with. As he walks down the aisle to the ring, the new Anthem of Earth plays. It's a selection of anthems from countries all over the world, but they worked it so one anthem blends into another. They tried real hard to work the Carbombyan anthem in there, but its brief presence is very jarring.

Regardless, Cross squeezes through the ropes, pacing through the arena as he surveys the audience. Now, no one will mistake Cross for a body builder, but he does look like he's in pretty good shape, all things considered. But will it be enough?...

"Well ladies, guess it's time. Let's go give 'em what for." Talia trots out to the ring, giving her hat one final adjustment along the way. She's not as good at this as she is gunning across the skies, but she's still going to give it what she's got.

Melody Reynolds follows Talia- she looks more than a little embarassed- West Point, Space adventures...and now...this. Huh. She strides out onto the ring, and neatly vaults over the top rope in a properly acrobatic manner. She glances over at Franklin & Lars, and then gives a 'hmm.'

"It's...gonna be an interesting night."

Velum gives the wrappings around her normal hand one last check to make sure they're comfortable before standing when the staff woman signals the go-ahead. "Time to kick some ass." Wry grin stretches across her face, but drops into an easier smirk when she follows to other ladies out and into the ring, slipping between the ropes and settling her gaze on Cross, almost forgetting the others are there too.

"Cross." She says with a casual sniff while staring him down, fingers flexing a moment. Intimidating is a fair enough word for how she looks right now, toned, fighting body visibling littered with heavy scarring from her life in the service of the EDC and her own people. And that large, robotic arm doesn't help to ease one's mind either. Good thing she dialed it back earlier to be fair.

Apocryphacius < Death Face > 's optics widen as Velum appears. Oh. Wasn't she... kicked out? For insubordination? General Cross is going to be unhappy, and when General Cross is unhappy, certain things tend to happen. He asides to one of the paramedics, "So how do you people feel about strokes? Had recent training on those?" The paramedics just side-eye the Quintesson.

Lars Daalgard ducks through the ropes and crosses to the center of the ring with easy strides to touch gloves with Cross and the ladies. "Good evenings, friend. May the bests human wins, eh?"

Talia McKinley thumps her fists against Lars', smirking a bit. "And show all the other people watchin' we ain't for triflin' with, big fancy machines or not!"

Franklin Cross is alarmed to see Velum here. He glares at the referee--an ovoid alien who looks suspiciously similar to a blow-up punching bag--and snaps, "What is SHE doing here? She's not in the EDC anymore!" The ref shrugs, using a comically stubby arm to hold up a sheet, which he glances over. "Hmmm, nope, says here that, at the time this document was submitted, she was!" Cross gnashes his teeth. "Oh for..." He turns to Velum. "Well. If you think this is going to be the perfect chance to take out your frustrations on me, *think again.*" Still, he does touch gloves with Lars. "Right."

The ref says, "Now, remember the rules!" It thinks for a moment. "Don't kill each other!" It raises its stubby little arms. "FIGHT!"

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This is the first that Amber has heard of Velum not being in the EDC any more, and she leans forward in her seat, a frown on her face, like she's about to speak. But no, now is not the time, and she sits back again, still frowning. "Get him, Velum," she mutters to herself. She reminds herself to talk to the Nebulan woman after the fight.

Melody Reynolds watches the goings-on and formality- at which point she hmms, glancing over at the referee. "Right." She says with proper finality- at which point she wastes little time in lunging into action! Velum is closest- and, honestly, with the robot arm, she does present one of the bigger threats!

And so, Melody twists around, swinging her left fist right at Velum's face! "Nothing personal." she notes, twisting around into a proper fighting stance, bouncing up and down on her heels.

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Velum with her Punch attack!

Lars Daalgard goes up on his toes and offers an experimental jab towards Talia, keeping his distance while he sees what she's got in mind.

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets its defense level to Protected.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Talia McKinley with its Curious Jab (Punch) attack!

Franklin Cross glares as he advances on Velum, knowing the Nebulan will try to go for him. Might as well return the favor. Gotta watch that bionic arm, though. His fists up in classic boxing stance, he feints at her several times before his left fist lashes out at her face. All the while, he tries to keep his distance. He's never had to fight her before, but she's clearly seen a lot of combat and it would be best to get an idea of her capabilities first.

Combat: Franklin Cross sets his defense level to Guarded.

And there's the call to start. While she may be without a gun right now, Talia still has a sharp eye, and deftly jukes to the side of Lars' testing punch. "Com'n man, iffen yer gonna punch, punch like ya mean it!" She steps in and swings, trying to land a good right hook before the Norwegian soldier has a chance to pull back from his jab.

Combat: Franklin Cross misses Velum with his Punch attack!

Combat: Talia McKinley misses Lars Daalgard with her Dodge and punch back (Punch) attack!

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Velum chuckles softly at Cross' remark before giving him a wink, likely to offset him further, and giving Lars' gloves a bump, quickly skirting back soon after and sinking into a fighting stance.

Unfortunately, she's a little too occupied on Cross at the moment to notice Melody coming in on her side, the woman only getting a split second before she finds a fist digging into one side of her face. Reeling a moment, the Nebulan takes a step back, giving her jaw a flex before shaking the pain off and smirking at Melody. "Mmf.. No worries. Heh, got a good punch for a human." Velum comments, about to make a move on her, but Cross soon comes at her as well, attentions turning to the man while keeping her hands up, shifting back now and then with each feint punch. But she sees that real swing coming, leaning back and letting his fist fly harmlessly by before she leans back in, using momentum to aim a right hook back at his jaw. Good thing her right arm is the normal one.

Combat: Velum sets her defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Velum strikes Franklin Cross with her Right hook! (Punch) attack!

Combat: You took 10 damage.

Apocryphacius < Death Face > asks one of the paramedics, "Know any good plastic surgeons? For completely hypothetical reasons?" The paramedic studiously ignores him.

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Only a gleam in Amber's eyes and a brief smirk on her face betray her delight as Cross gets nailed by Velum's blow. Otherwise, she sits calmly in her seat, politely applauding with the rest of the crowd and ignoring the shouted demands that Velum rip Franklin's arm off and beat him about the head with the bloody stump.

"In times," Lars replies, keeping his fists up and blocking Talia's hook with his left as he dances in and jabs with his right.

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Talia McKinley with his Jab Again (Punch) attack!

Melody Reynolds lands a punch on Velum, and she keeps moving! She bounces on her heels, and then twits around, circling the scrum of EDC members. On the one hand, she doesn't want to fight her friends...on the other hand, there's still that competitive spirit driving her forward! And so, Melody twists around- and then swings a booted leg towards Lars' ankles, aiming to take him off guard!

Yes, she cheats. Because that's what humans do!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Lars Daalgard with her Sweep the leg! (Kick) attack!

Franklin Cross takes a hefty blow to his right cheek, his head snapping to the side from the impact. "Nfff..." He steps back, re-evaluating. Fairly quick, and accurate. Maybe he should back off for a moment? Yes, let's do that. While Melody kicks Lars, Cross tries to grab both their heads and slam them together. "I do appreciate it when my troops put their heads together to solve a problem," he quips.

While some in the audience may want to see Cross get ripped apart, there's a substantial portion of humans in the audience who love what he stands for--for better or worse--and are trying to drown out the naysayers with their cheers.

Combat: Franklin Cross sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Franklin Cross strikes Lars Daalgard with his Where's Your Head At (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Franklin Cross misses Melody Reynolds with his Where's Your Head At (Ruckus) Area attack!

Talia McKinley however sidesteps another punch from Lars, grinning a bit. He seems to be playing on the defensive, so far. "Y'know..." And then Melody steps in to kick his legs. Then Cross tries to pull a stooges on them. "Don't forget guys." She steps in and swings a hooked arm to try and get at Cross's neck and pull him into a headlock. "This ain't -just- boxin'!"

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Franklin Cross with her Headlock (Punch) attack!

Combat: You took 6 damage.

Velum grins when her punch lands and Cross immediately backs off before moving to take on Melody and Lars. She takes a moment to herself while the others duke it out, but she doesn't stay out long, soon rushing into the crowd of fighters, bowing over a bit as robotic arm comes forward, ready to bumrush whoever's in her way first. And that just happens to be Talia and Cross.

Combat: Velum misses Franklin Cross with her Bumrush! (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Velum misses Talia McKinley with her Bumrush! (Ruckus) Area attack!

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Apocryphacius < Death Face > transforms into his Apocryphacius mode.

Apocryphacius wonders aloud, "Between them, I wonder how many different martial arts styles are represented?" Actually, he's mostly just curious about Cross's moves...

"Sir." Melody notes, calm as ever- even as the general tries to bash her head about! Melody nimbly twists out of the way, moving as smoothly as water- or, really, as smoothly as she can manage. Not quite a black belt, but she knows a few tricks.

And so, Melody continues to circle round the edge of the brawl- she soon snaps one hand out towards the back of Talia's shirt, attempting to *YANK!* her closer- and, should she manage to get pulled off balance, Melody follows up with a quick punch to the gut, if she can work it in!

And, for those with a more discerning eye (or eyes, in Apocryphus' case), Melody appears to use a combination of Tai Chi and Jeet Kun Do.

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Talia McKinley with her Suckerpunch! (Punch) attack!

Lars Daalgard gets swept from behind, and when he goes down, Frank puts the boot in by bonking his head into hers! "Umph!" He rolls away from the scrum to get free, and comes back up to his feet, shaking his head and chuckling at letting himself get snuck up on. "I can see I wills have to watches my backs," he remarks, circling and advancing on Velum to try to nail her in the kidneys with a low punch.

Franklin Cross grunts as he's trapped in Talia's headlock, face turning red! "Nnnnff. I suppose so, Captain," he grunts, getting his fingers under Talia's arm. Then, thankfully, Melody yanks his assailant away... just in time for him to see Velum charging at them! Thinking fast, Cross drops to the ground, trying to trap her feet between his legs and make her fall flat on her face!

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Velum with his Suckerpunch (Kick) attack!

Combat: Franklin Cross misses Velum with his Have A Nice Trip (Kick) attack!

Talia McKinley is busy trying to keep her hold on Cross, even as she has to sidestep Velum's rush attack. Unfortunately she doesn't see Melody coming in while doing so, and getting yanked over helps pull her loose of the General as well. Followed by an "oomph" grunted at the slug in the stomach. "Nice shot." Then retaliates by taking a swing at the other lady's legs, aiming at the lower leg with those heavy cowboy boots she's wearing.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Melody Reynolds with her Shin kick (Kick) attack!

Velum is thankfully smart enough to overstep Cross' trick when he hunkers down to try and trip her, the woman sending him a sneer as she whips back around, ready to go after him once more. But Lars interrupts her with a shot to her midsection. He doesn't exactly hit her kidneys, per say, given their different internal anatomy, but it still looks plenty painful as she winces, but takes it like a champ either way. "Nnf.. Nice shot, Lars." She comments with a sharp smirk, though she punctuates her sentence with a sudden roundhouse kick aiming right at his face, hoping to slam him with her heel.

Combat: Velum strikes Lars Daalgard with her Chuck Norris Roundhouse! (Kick) attack!

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Lars Daalgard stumbles a moment, but tries to catch Velum by the swinging leg so he can judo throw her to the mat!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Velum with his Judo Flip! (Smash) attack!

Franklin Cross springs back up to his feet, glaring at Talia's back. Damn, that chick's pretty strong. Must be all that Texan blood or something. Maybe he should be worried about her and not Velum? And so, Cross runs behind her, tries to grab her around the waist, then suplex her into the matt. "Boxing's a good start, Talia, but wrestling's a good way to finish!"

Combat: Franklin Cross sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Franklin Cross strikes Talia McKinley with his SUPLEX (Smash) attack!

Combat: You took 3 damage from that attack.

Talia's kick strikes Melody right in the side, hard enough to stagger her a few steps- but not hard enough to put her down! She cracks a grin, and dances forward on the balls of her feet, feinting with her left hand- only to suddenly lash out with her right foot, again attempting to put a boot into Talia's solar plexus! But then Franklin's lunging in, so Melody makes the most of it, and follows through with a boot towards HIM as well!

"Apologies, sir." she adds on.

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Talia McKinley with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Franklin Cross with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: You took 7 damage.

Talia McKinley avoids getting kicked back, if only because Cross yanked her out of the way. And then slammed her into the ground with that move. She actually huffs a bit. "Nice move. Sir." She may not be particularly found of him, but you've got to admire a well done suplex. She rolls back onto her feet, and hops back a few steps instead of getting between the two of them, taking a more defensive stance herself and takes a few moments to just study the other fighters... though who she is watching, no one knows

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Guarded.

Powerglide has arrived.

Combat: Talia McKinley takes extra time to aim her next attack.

Franklin Cross apparently caught that kick just before grabbing her. "Oof!" But he fights through the pain and pulls it off!

"OOOHHHHH!" Jim Ross says over the Pay Per View commentary. "Did you see that? She kicked him right in the gut, but he still suplexed her! Have you ever seen anything like that, Jesse?"

"I haven't," Ventura replies, "But I'll tell you this, Jim, stock up on food and ammo! Franklin Cross is the puppet of the Autobots! It's all a conspiracy to institute the New Autobot Order! And then they'll join up with the Decepticons and take over the galaxy, it's all in my new book: 'Everyone Is Out To Get You!'"

"Uhh...."

With the other three ganging up on each other, Velum keeps her focus on Lars, his attempt to grab her swinging leg failing as she slams him in the face with it. "Heh, I'm still surprised you're not going bare knuckles on us, Lars. Where's that fighter's spirit, eh?" The Nebulan taunts, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet, but not leaving the ground.

Without many rules in this fight, Velum is free to do a few rather dirty moves, including the one she's about to do as feet dig into the mat and she lunges, feigning a punch before following up with a hard elbow to the front of his face.

Apocryphacius watches one of the Pay Per View televisions and scowls, his faces shifting, and he snaps, "My ice cream conspiracy was a better conspiracy than that!"

Apocryphacius transforms into his Apocryphacius < Wrath Face > mode.

Combat: Velum misses Lars Daalgard with her Elbow to the face! (Smash) attack!

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Lars Daalgard dances back out of the way of the big elbow on the balls of his feet, throwing quick jabs for Velum's chin as he does so. "No needs," he explains. "I'm happy withs glove."

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Velum with his Quick Jab (Punch) attack!

Franklin Cross grunts as he pulls himself up. "No need to apologize, Ms. Reynolds," he hisses between his teeth. "And thank you Captain, but don't think compliments will make me go easy on you!" This time he lashes out at Melody with a kick aimed at her shin. It may not knock her over, but a kick like that, especially one done over and over, can rapidly sap a fighter's will!

Combat: Franklin Cross strikes Melody Reynolds with his Kick attack!

Powerglide may be late to the party but he makes up for lost time by being as loud and obnoxious as possible. He stands by the sidelines, watching the humans (and Nebulan) beating the piss out of eachother, while drinking a bottle of Swindlebrau: it will get you drunk. "Yeah! Woo! Go ladies! Wrestle each other until you're all hot and sweaty!" He pauses before adding, "Oh yeah and go you other guys too or whatever."

"Ah would hope not!" Talia replies, even as she drops into a three point stance. She waits until Cross is swinging at Melody again and then sees her opening, bolting across the mat with her body kept low still, aiming to plow forcefully into Cross's midsection with her shoulders.

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Neutral.

"You know, I'm not sure this is the right time for this, Jesse," Jim Ross says, sounding apprehensive.

"Yeah, you say that now," Jesse Ventura replies. "Just you wait until the day that NAO is plastered everywhere in your neighborhood! You'll wish you listened to me!"

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Franklin Cross with her Spearing Tackle (Smash) attack!

Combat: You took 8 damage.

Combat: Talia McKinley's attack has damaged your Strength!

Melody Reynolds goes down!

Her eyes go wide as Franklin's kick connects, and she hits the mat- hard. "OOF!" she says, and soon scrabbles to her feet- taking advantage of the distraction Talia's giving her!

There's little elegance or technique to the way Melody bulls forward, lowering her shoulder as she rushes towards Lars- again, mostly because the tank commander's in the way!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Lars Daalgard with her Smash attack!

Velum skirts back once again after her elbow misses and Lars moves in to jab, weaving around his punches until Melody intervenes and slams into the man. Sweat is already starting the bead on her as the woman puffs softly, stepping back to take a moment for herself and watch the others duke it out.

And of course, while resting a moment, her attention is momentarily drawn away when Powerglide, of all mechs, yells to the fighters rather obnoxiously. Ugh.

Combat: Velum takes extra time to steady herself. [Pass]

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Lars Daalgard gets shoved roughly out of the way, and as she hurtles by, Lars sticks out a foot to try to trip Melody before she can get wherever she's going, glancing away nonchalantly.

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his Have a Nice Trip (Kick) attack!

"VELUM!" Powerglide begins waving his arms around wildly to get the woman's attention, inadvertently spilling his energon beer all over the place. "HEY VELUM! I'm rooting for ya! Look, I even brought a sign!" He pulls out a large cardboard sign with a crudely drawn, and scantily clad, Velum punching an even cruder (but thankful not scantily clad) drawing of Franklin Cross. Or atleast that's who it's supposed to be, it's really just a stick figure with a mustache. "WOOO!"

Sure enough, Lars manages to trip Melody up! She goes down- but she keeps her momentum going forward, and plants her hands on the mat- she turns over in a clumsy cartwheel, and then pops up onto her feet once more! This...is just in time for her to get a good look at Powerglide's sign.

"What." Melody says, too stunned to start punching anyone further!

Combat: Melody Reynolds takes extra time to steady herself. [Pass]

Franklin Cross is tackled down into the matt! "OOOFFFTTT! You're... certainly not holding back, Talia!" he says, his mouth guard looking bloody as he begins to breath heavily. In a particularly vicious move--which he actually kinda feels bad about--he grabs her by the ponytail and tries punching her repeatedly in the face!

Combat: Franklin Cross misses Talia McKinley with his Punch attack!

Talia McKinley yelps as Cross grabs at her ponytail, but he only gets his hand on the scrunchie holding it, which comes off when she jerks her head away and catchs his fist in her hand. "Watch it, yer gonna make me loose my hat. And ya ain't gonna like it if that happens." Hair now spilling loosely behind her she springs to her feet, yanking Cross up with her. Sort of. Only so she can swing her other arm out to meet him on the way up.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Franklin Cross with her They wouldn't let me use a rope so you'll have to settle for this sort of lariat (Punch) attack!

Combat: You took 7 damage.

Combat: Talia McKinley's attack has damaged your Firepower!

Velum's eyes widen when Powerglide holds up that sign, hand moving to her face as she sighs deeply. Well, that's embarrassing. But she doesn't dwell on it long, turning back to the fight and stepping in again. Eyes narrow on Cross once more when he tries to grab up Talia, Nebulan snorting with clenching jaw as she moves in on the man.

"Let me have a crack at him, Talia." Velum wished this was a one on one match, but that's something that can't be helped now. Once Talia gets her punch in, Velum shoves Cross back hard before striking out like a whip with a leg aiming for his stomach.

Combat: Velum sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Velum strikes Franklin Cross with her Right in the gut! (Kick) attack!

Combat: You took 15 damage.

Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger!

Combat: Velum's attack has damaged your Accuracy!

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Lars Daalgard flanks Velum, trying to sweep her leg with a hook kick while she's still off-balance from high-kicking Cross!

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Velum with his Flanking Maneuver (Smash) attack!

Talia McKinley takes a step back and gives Velum a tip of her hat and smirk. "Help y'self." Takes a moment to grab her now loose hair and stuff it up under her stetson to keep it out of the way. Glances around, then sprints off to the side of the arena while everyone else is mobbing together around Cross. Is she... yep, she is. She's climbing up one of the posts. Uh oh....

Combat: Talia McKinley takes extra time to steady herself. [Pass]

Franklin Cross gets brutally clotheslined into the mat! And just when he's about to get up, Velum's foot comes down right on his gut, knocking the wind right out of him. "Arrghhh!" Okay, now he's not doing so well, he realizes. And here comes Lars to his rescue! He could kick the guy, but that wouldn't be nice, seeing how he kinda sorta came to his defense. So instead, he kicks out at Velum's knees, trying to keep her away from him. "Errghhh..."

"Can you believe this?" Jim Ross says. "They're focusing on their own leader! Jesse, why do you think that is?"

"They must know about the conspiracy!" Jesse says. "They must have read my book!"

"Oh, for..."

Combat: Franklin Cross misses Velum with his Kick attack!

< EDC > Apocryphacius says, "Am I allowed to write a book about my ice cream conspiracy? Hypothetically speaking?"

< EDC > 'Maverick' Sit-Com says, "Is Ben and Jerry's out to get you again?"

< EDC > Franklin Cross isn't wearing his headset, but if he could respond, it would mostly be with grunting and heavy breathing. No, not like that. > :(

Melody Reynolds spins around, finally shaken free of Powerglide's distraction! It's...well, the minibot hasn't really inspired her, but she can't help but feel the ned to punch somebody anyway. And so, as the beating goes on, Melody clambers up upon one of the turnbuckles- the higher ground, of course, being one of the better place to be in the typical battle.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt." she murmurs to herself- and then, Melody leaps back into the fray, lashing out with boots and elbows at anyone she might happen to land on!

< EDC > Apocryphacius says, "I will take your silence as permission."

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Franklin Cross with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: You took 9 damage.

Combat: Melody Reynolds's attack has damaged your Accuracy!

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Talia McKinley with her Ruckus Area attack!

"I'm just /so/ glad they let me in on this little fight." Velum grins sharply, lining up another kick, this time to Cross' side, but Lars doesn't allow her the satisfaction of kicking Cross while he's down, that leg sweeping out, causing her to fall hard on the mat and daze her a second.

"Ergh..." Cerulean blues glare daggers at Lars for messing her up, Velum swinging another kick out as she starts to get up, aiming more or less for the spot where a man least wants to be kicked. Ever. Yes, Velum doesn't mind fighting dirty.

Combat: Velum sets her defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Velum strikes Lars Daalgard with her Kick attack!

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Talia McKinley briefly ducks as Melody goes sailing past, and after her brief reprise to check the ropes decides they're not actually sturdy enough to actually climb up on. In a slight change of plans she turns around and flops back, stretching them out a bit instead. Somewhat the same physics involved as a slingshot, to give her a slight boost as they snap back and send her barreling across the arena with both arms out. Because she actually hasn't taken a swing at Velum yet, and Lars just happens to be fighting with her at the moment.

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Velum with her Double Clothesline (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Talia McKinley misses Lars Daalgard with her Double Clothesline (Ruckus) Area attack!

Squawkbox enters from the Central Park to the west.

Squawkbox has arrived.

Franklin Cross crawls away from Velum, having an opportunity to recover, and uses the ropes to try and pull himself up. And wouldn't you know, then ANOTHER harpy runs by and catches him in the gut with another kick! "Urrrff...." He struggles to remain conscious. In the corner of his eye, he notices the ref watching him, like a vulture. Stupid, ovoid ref. Well, if you're gonna go out.... go out with a bang! Pressing against the ropes, he uses them to help propel himself back at Talia, aiming a shoulder at her! Combined with her own forward momentum, this could do a lot of damage!

Combat: Franklin Cross strikes Talia McKinley with his SHOULDER (Kick) attack!

Lars Daalgard is wearing a cup, but that doesn't mean kicks don't hurt. It knocks the wind out of him for a few moments, at least, and he backs off, swinging for Velum's temple.

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Velum with his Biff! Pow! (Punch) attack!

Melody Reynolds bounces away from Franklin, and pants. Sweat sheens her skin, mats her hair- she soon backs up and roughly unbuttons her fatigue shirt, shrugging clumsily out of it and throwing it aside! There's nothing scandalous beneath- just toned, bare arms...and a thick looking kevlar vest. Granted, this isn't a typical combat situation, but it'll do.

And again, Melody takes the most tactical (read: opportunistic) route- as Lars lunges forward to beat on Velum, Melody pulls the same trick she did before, aiming to grab the back of his collar with one hand, and punch him with the other!

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her Suckerpunch! (Punch) attack!

Squawktalk soars above the city of New York. No one takes a second thought to a bird, given the sheer number of pigeons that call it home, but Squawktalk is considerably larger, being based upon an Eagle. He is strangely silent, but upon closer inspection, he seems to have a memory card stuck in his beak. He lands on the roof of Madison Square Garden, near a door. In a ballet of movement, Squawktalk becomes a memory card, while Beastbox becomes an Ape. Picking up the card in one hand, he easily knocks the bolt off the door, and begins his search. ..

Velum has lived with the humans for quite some time, and yet their strength and fortitude still amazes her. Case in point when she stands back up, only to be slammed down once more by Talia, the blow to her chest making Velum wheeze softly for a moment while trying to regain her breathe. Texan blood indeed.

With a grunt the Nebulan struggles to her feet once more, a sliver of blood visibly trailing from one corner of her mouth, back of her hand wiping it and creating a smear while she sidsteps Lars' counter. She's not about to give up Cross however, going for the man yet again after he slams into Talia, moving swiftly to try and grab the man up in a chokehold from behind, and possibly wrestle him to the floor with a hard knee in his back.

Combat: Velum misses Franklin Cross with her Wrasslin' (Smash) attack!

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Talia McKinley connects with one of her two targets, that's not so bad! But then Cross charges up and kicks her while she's still moving, and the combined momentum puts her face down the mat for the moment with a pained grunt. One hand grabs her hat to keep it on her head as she rolls over, and snaps up a leg to kick at Cross in return in the process of getting back onto her feet.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Franklin Cross with her Jackknife Kick (Kick) attack!

Combat: You took 5 damage.

Combat: Talia McKinley's attack has damaged your Accuracy!

Combat: Franklin Cross falls to the ground, unconscious.

Apocryphacius < Wrath Face > looks alarmed, faces shifting around with worry, and he calls out, "General Cross, sir?" He pokes one of the paramedics with a tentacle. "Humans are not designed for cold reboots! A design flaw."

Apocryphacius < Wrath Face > transforms into his Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > mode.

Lars Daalgard yanks away from Melody before she can get a solid grip on his tank (top) and glances at Cross, who doesn't look like he's going to be getting up for... well, a count of ten, at least. He swings an uppercut at Melody's chin, hoping to pop her one for getting in so close.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his To the Moon Alice! (Punch) attack!

Velum watches at Cross finally goes down, a bright grin gracing her face as a chuckle escapes her. "Nice work, Talia. Remind me to buy you all the drinks you want after this." It's true that Velum wanted to be the one to knock him out cold, but again, it can't be helped. She's just glad to see him finally fall. "But for now, we've still got a fight to finish!"

Beaming at the other woman, Velum slips back into a fighting stance, advancing fast on the woman and aiming a hard uppercut to Talia's jaw with her robotic fist.

Combat: Velum sets her defense level to Fearless.

Franklin Cross's head is spinning as he bounces away from Talia. He's taken far too much of a beating and should have passed out already, but somehow he's barely hanging on. He limps over to Talia, ready to punch her while while she's down, but as he's stooping over to do so, he catches a kick to the face, and the world goes all.... swirly.... wooooahhhhh--

Thwump! He falls onto his back, passed out. The ovoid referee hops over, giving him a critical eye, counting all the way to ten before it gestures with an "he's out" motion with its stubby arms. Seconds later medi-droids hover in, gently lifting him up and out of the arena to place him before Apocryphacius.

"Cross is the first one down!" Jim Ross says. "Amaaaaaazing!"

"Looks like that's it for NAO!" Jesse says.

"What?" Jim Ross says. "Fight's still going on."

"No, I meant that's it for NAO!"

"I... the event hasn't stopped, man!"

Combat: Velum strikes Talia McKinley with her Uppercut! (Punch) attack!

Melody Reynolds pivots on one foot, pushing Lars' punch to the side with one motion- and she falls into a defensive stance beside Cross' comatose form- force of habit, it'd seem! Not that any EDC member would be so crass as to get in cheap shots on their commanding officer when he's down. Oh no.

"Well, Lars, how long do you think you'll be able to hold out?" Melody asks, and then rushes forward, attempting to tackle the tank commander to the ground!

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her Smash attack!

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Talia McKinley smirks a bit at Velum. "Iffen Ah'd known he was that close, Ah woulda just warmed him up fer ya sugahcube." A pause as she shifts stance a bit. "But yer right, not over it. Gimme ya best shot!" Which Velum does, landing a solid punch, with metal knuckles no less, to her jaw and sending the cowgirl stumbling back a few steps. That would of probably broken a normal bloke's jawbone, but Talia's made of sterner country-grown stuff. "That's gonna sting in the mornin'. Iffen Ah ain't hung over already." Though even as she remarks she makes a grab for Velum's arm and despite it being robotic steps over and tries to twist it around behind her back.

"Longs enough," Lars replies laconically, sidestepping and sticking out a foot again to try to drop Melody as she goes by.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his Whoopsydoodle (Kick) attack!

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Velum with her Restraining Hold (Punch) attack!

Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > gives one of the Pay per View televisions a weird look and asks, "Are they seriously trying to imply General Cross is really Cao Nao?" After taking Cross' vitals, he pulls out what appears to be a pen and clicks it one, reveaing a long, thin needle. Apocryphacius jams it into the side of Cross's chest, just shy of the sternum.

Combat: Apocryphacius prepares Franklin Cross for surgery, his COMBAT flag has been waived.

Combat: Your COMBAT flag has been cleared.

Combat: Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > expertly heals Franklin Cross's injuries.

Combat: Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > is able to heal some of Franklin Cross's internal damage.

Beastbox makes his way through the corridors of Madison Square Garden without too much trouble. He transforms into a memory card once or twice when he hears a noise coming down the hallway, but so far, so good. Eventually, he makes his way towards what seems to be a communications room, where he encounters a number of humans, who begin to scream, shout, one of them may even trip the internal alarm, but Beastbox and a transformed Squawktalk make short work of them. Once the room is empty of conscious humans, Beastbox picks up a walkie talkie and holds it up to Squawktalk, "Uh, we had a slight communications malfunction, but uh . . . everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"

Velum is a little surprised to see Talia's jaw still intact. Sure, she dialed back the power, but a punch like that still has the ability to snap some bones. That Talia is a hell of a woman, that's for sure. Especially when she manages to snatch up the Nebulan's large, mechanical arm and pin it behind her, holding the woman in place.

"If I'm buying, you'll be plenty hung over, trust me." Velum grunts with a wry smirk, wrestling against the Texan's grasp before leaning back swiftly with head shooting back, trying to smash Talia right in the face with the back of her skull.

Combat: Velum strikes Talia McKinley with her Headbutt (Smash) attack!

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Franklin Cross wakes up with a jolt, his eyes flying open. Then his head rises up, staring at the needle stuck in his chest. "Hnnnghhh!" Don't freak out don't freak out don't freak out...

Melody Reynolds stumbles past Lars- but she remains on her feet, even as he tries to trip her up! She bounces off the ropes- and then twists around- and hey, Velum's there, and she has a robot arm...so that makes her fair game, doesn't it? She lunges forward, grabbing at the Nebulan woman before she tries to throw her to the ground!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Velum with her I THREW IT ON THE GROUND (Punch) attack!

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Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > ready a cotton ball and some medical tape with his other tentacles, and in one swift motion, he yanks the needle out, applies the cotton ball, and tapes it all down. Cheerily, he says, "Good evening, sir"

Apocryphacius < Darkness Face > transforms into his Apocryphacius mode.

Franklin Cross blinks, staring down at the cotton ball on his chest. "Apocryphacius... did you... did you give me a shot of adrenaline to wake me up?"

Lars Daalgard does his best to put the boot in while Velum is down, taking advantage of the alien's brief disadvantage!

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Velum with his The Boot Putting it In (Kick) attack!

Talia McKinley actually isn't so much really strong, as she knows how to use it and toughness to her advantage. But she gahs, losing her grip as she's knocked backwards by the head smack. Followed by a cough, a bit of a hack, and turning her head to spit some blood out. Then grabs her neckerchief and wipes her mouth off with it. Didn't break her jaw but there's definately been blood drawn. And then everyone else starts ganging up on Velum. With a snort she makes a grab for Melody to pull her off, then throw her back into Lars. "Plenty of lovin' t'go around yet."

Apocryphacius admits, "It... might not have been adrenaline, sir," and he looks shifty, steepling a pair of tentacles.

Combat: Talia McKinley misses Melody Reynolds with her Grab and toss (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Lars Daalgard with her Grab and toss (Ruckus) Area attack!

Squawktalk ends up talking with a bored security agent, about the New York Red Bulls, New York Rangers, the Mayor of New York, some new HBO series about the early years of Spike Witwicky, all while Beastbox taps into the communications system, recording a feed of the fight down below. Squawkbox has his feet up on the dash board as he wears a Bluetooth headset.

Velum wrestles herself from Talia after striking her, stumbling a few steps away to regain herself, the woman puffing hard as sweat pours down tanned skin. She's getting tired, very tired. Melody takes the advantage however, and rushes in to knock Velum to the floor, grunting as she lay there a moment before trying to get back up. However she's sent down yet again with that nasty kick from Lars to her side, Velum reeling and rolling over in pain.

"Mmf... Too bad you weren't in the Nebulan wars. Could've used you guys." She comments through the pain with a smile while struggling back to her feet, blood still dribbling from the corner of her mouth and pattering onto the mat. Velum still has some fight in her though, going for Lars now that Talia is busy with Melody, the woman rearing back an arm and sending it directly to the side of the man's face.

Combat: Velum misses Lars Daalgard with her Punch attack!

Amber MacKenzie casually wanders over to Apocryphacius and his patient, nodding courteously to the guilty-looking guy before looking Cross over. "And you encouraged *me* to participate, sir?" she asks with an arched brow, sitting nearby. Giving him a cheerful grin, she points out, "I'd be a bloody mess in there, like... well, never mind. Better you than I, General," she finishes lightly.

"Huhwhaa?"

Melody sputters indignantly as she's thrown about- she twits around, then tosses an elbow towards Lars, pushing off against the poor tanker- and then she gets her feet back under herself and flings herself at Talia in retaliation!

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Talia McKinley with her The boots! (Kick) attack!

+POT Franklin Cross is now observing.

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"Woulda loved to be there ta help," Talia comments over her shoulder, though she doesn't take her eyes off the other combatants. When Melody dashes back at her she darts to the side, evading the attack, and swinging her arm out to counter the dash by cutting it off. Then spinning around entirely to try and smack her again with the other arm. Someone must of played a lot of Street Fighter and Streets of Rage as a kid.

Franklin Cross sits up, giving Apocryphacius an odd look. "...do I even want to know?" He sighs. "Next time, just rely on epsom salts. Amber? Well, I suppose I should have expected that, with that incompetent Olympics committee using an old list..."

Combat: Talia McKinley misses Melody Reynolds with her Spinning Lariat (Kick) attack!

Lars Daalgard catches Melody, not so much on purpose as that she was thrown into him. Fortunately this means he can use her as a human shield against Velum's punches!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his Meatshield (Punch) attack!

Apocryphacius replies, something of a cryptic, sphyngian look on his active face, "As a man of science, I would assume you would want to know, sir, but for now, as my patient, if it makes you feel better, it was /definitely/ adrenaline." He winks and hides the scanner that still has the display of how much internal damage Cross had suffered. "Epsom salts?" He grimaces slightly. "Duly noted, sir."

Velum grimaces when her swing misses Lars, clenching her jaw while mustering up the will to keep going. "Damnit, hold still you." She steps in again at Lars, sharp gaze focusing on him as hands lift to the sides of her face and belt out a few more swings to try and knock him around.

Combat: Velum misses Lars Daalgard with her Punch attack!

Melody Reynolds ducks beneath Talia's kick- only to find herself yanked closer to Lars! "I'm flattered, Lars, but I think we should remain-" and again, she twists out of the tanker's grip- "Professional!"

This said, Melody launches back onto the offensive- first grabbing at Lars' shirt for a quick headbutt (or trying, at least) only to follow up with a far more elegant roundhouse kick, aimed right at the side of Talia's head! She may not LIKE being here, but damn if Melody's not going to put up a hell of a fight!

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Talia McKinley with her Ruckus Area attack!

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Amber MacKenzie shrugs. "What can you expect from the guy who gave us 'Gal-Axy', sir?"

Franklin Cross nods. "Though I don't doubt your precision was flawless, bear in mind that humans don't like needles getting stuck in them even if it's for their own good." He rubs his jaw. "Ow. Yes, well, something tells me the other mascot ideas were even worse."

Lars Daalgard recovers his balance and weaves away from Velum. "Anothers time, maysbe," he replies good-naturedly, but when Melody tries to headbutt him, he turns his head aside just in time to avoid it and tries to bang his forehead against the side of her head instead!

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Melody Reynolds with his Oi! (Smash) attack!

Beastbox, suddenly leaps down from his chair and begins searching the communications room. When one of the humans seems to be regaining consciousness, he gives the poor guy another love tap on the noggin, before walking over him. On one of the desks, he picks up a notepad, from another area he picks up a tape dispenser, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of writing utensil. With a shrug, he begins rolling the unconscious male humans over, checking their shirt pockets for a pen. When he finds one, he writes a message, and tapes the piece of paper. He does this a few more times, and when he's done, he snaps his fingers at Squawktalk, points to the message, and transforms into a memory stick, landing inside the computer system. Squawktalk, who is still chatting with the security guard over the phone "Just a minute . . .", is instructed to double click on a file, and upload it to the new drive (Beastbox), which he does, "Okay, so you just have to check out this new film, it's totally worth the price of admission, they filmd it in this new style, some kind of special fisheye lens or something, which reminds me, they smoke this thing in Egypt, I don't know what they're called, but I really want to try it the next time I'm in that part of the world . . ."

Talia McKinley was going to move in to follow up, but gets cut short as Melody throws a roundhouse kick at her. She manages to get her head out of the way, but the kick still connects with her shoulder and makes her stumble. "Ooh, now that smarted." Think she pulled a muscle or something there. Well it looks like Lars and Melody are getting all cozy now, so she turns her attention back to Velum with a smirk. Raises a leg and snaps it at the Nebulon, trying to make use of those heavy cowboy boots again for some added oomph.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Velum with her Axe kick (Kick) attack!

Apocryphacius is the very picture of concern as he insists, "Humans are not designed for trauma-induced anaesthsia. The more time spent unconscious, the less likely you are to awaken again, sir. Next time, I will use an invisible needle." Because he's sure there will be a next time. General Cross is probably missing the fear gene that most humans have. If he ever gives up on the military, he could become an excellent extreme skateboarder.

Deedle deedle deep.

The Quintesson answers a phone call, "...all over the laboratory floor? How did you..? I am just perplexed as to how the candelabra, the kitchen twine, and the bubblegum are involved. Yes, yes, I will be there as soon as I can." Apocryphacius looks left and right, pokes one of the paramedics, hisses, "You had /better/ do an impeccable job," and scoots off.

Velum is glad to finally have Lars off her when Melody catches his attention, Velum's own caught by Talia when she suddenly comes up and strikes out with a boot, the pointy tip hitting her right in the ribs. Yep, that's gonna be one big bruise in the morning.

She looks haggared now though after that blow, swaying ever so slightly on her feet before she grits her teeth and digs her feet in, charging straight at Talia to try and grapple and bowl her over.

Combat: Velum misses Talia McKinley with her Tackle (Smash) attack!

Melody Reynolds is bashed! Lars, being from some undisclosed scandinavian country, is therefore better at headbutting than Melody is! She reels from the hit, and rubs at the side of her head- frowning as she feels blood mixing in with her sweat. Oh, this isn't what she signed up for.

Still, Melody fights on! She bounces back, towards the turnbuckles- and then uses the extra elasticity to add a little extra 'oomph' to her punch as she makes a swing at Lars, ready for some payback!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Lars Daalgard with her Punch! (Punch) attack!

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"You're scaring me, sir. Gal-Axy was bad enough." Amber watches the Quintesson hurry off, the few words she catches reason for another arched brow. Sounds like the beginning of a joke. "I'd find some other PR firm to handle any Terran part in future Olympics."

Talia McKinley has had a lot of people charge and try to tackle her over the years, from playing sports in high school to her days wrangling smugglers and cartel men in the Coast Guard. As is she deftly side steps the attack, and tries to take advantage of Velum's own lack of control with the missed charge by balling her fists together and taking a swing at the Nebulan's backaside while she's passing.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Velum with her Busting The Bronco (Smash) attack!

Lars Daalgard gets charged off the turnbuckles, but as Melody slams into him, he tries to get his shoulder down so he can roll her over his back into the mat!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his Judo Roll (Kick) attack!

"Not up to you or me," Cross says, propping himself up so he can continue watch the fight. Geeze, how long has he been out of the fight?

Melody Reynolds flows. She may not be in her armor, and she may not even have a weapon on her...but Melody still know how to fight. And so, she lets out a little "Ack!" as Lars gets his shoulder roll in- but she gets her feet under herself anyway, and springs forward- planting one hand on Lars' shoulders so she can vault OVER the man- all the better to swing a kick towards Velum!

After all, she's got a robot arm, and that's the biggest threat, isn't it?

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Velum with her The boots! (Kick) attack!

Combat: Velum falls to the ground, unconscious.

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Lars Daalgard stumbles a moment, looking around with an appreciative expression at Melody's counter to his throw, but he gets his fists up again quickly and goes after the rough & tumble infantrywoman again.

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his In Hot Pursuit (Punch) attack!

Talia McKinley winces a bit after that. Ugh, her arms are going to be sore tomorrow, hung over or not. She gingerly steps out of the way as Velum is laid out of the fight. "Medic! Someone get that gal off the mat and back on her feet, we got drinkin' to do after this!" Hmm. Neither Melody or Lars look as wore out as she feels, so she takes it a bit more cautiously, waiting until Lars charges at Melody and swings before trying to trip him.

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Talia McKinley misses Lars Daalgard with her Steppin on your toes (Punch) attack!

Melody Reynolds, having felled Velum, falls back into a defensive stance- again, honorably giving the medical personnel time to pull her off the mat. This done, she glances between Lars and Talia- and again, she pushes Lars' punch away from herself, instinctively replying with a blow of her own!

"To tell the truth, I'm kind of surprised it's lasted this long." she says- there's a good sheen of sweat on her skin, and a bit of blood trickling down from a cut on her temple, but Melody remains undaunted! "Guess all those self CQC courses paid off, huh?"

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Lars Daalgard with her Punch! (Punch) attack!

Lars Daalgard winces at the hit, but swings back at both the ladies, ducking and weaving!

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Melody Reynolds with his Combo! (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Talia McKinley with his Combo! (Ruckus) Area attack!

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Lars Daalgard presses the attack, working both opponents as effectively as he is able while still guarding himself from their combined assault!

The ref stands over Velum's body, starting the countdown. He gets down to ten, and signals that she's out. That done, a horde of medi-droids float in to pick Velum up and carry her out of the ring! She's placed on a table next to Cross and the medics decide to just follow Cross's advice and wave Epsom Salts under her nose to wake her up.

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Melody Reynolds with his Combo Follow-Up! (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Talia McKinley with his Combo Follow-Up! (Ruckus) Area attack!

Velum takes her beatings like a champ until Melody strikes the final blow! Thankfully it doesn't take the medics long cart her off. Hopefully they know Nebulan anatomy.

Though it seems they really don't need to with them waving some epsom salts in her face, the sharp smell bringing the woman back almost instantly with wide eyes and a few sharp coughs while pushing the salts away. "Ergh.. I need a serious drink after this. Or a really long sleep.."

"Good for even a pilot to know how to defend themself," Talia chips into the conversation. She's panting a bit and sweating hard, but this is the good sort of wore out feeling workout type thing. As Lars ducks and weaves she darts and dodges, evading his semi-wild swinging. "Y'all wearin' me out, but Ah ain't done with this rodeo just yet." She takes a wide swing at Melody, less of a punch and more of the motion that would normally accompany having a gun in her hand, which she doesn't, to hit someone with the butt of the grip.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Melody Reynolds with her Pistol Whip without the pistol (Punch) attack!

Franklin Cross eyes Velum but says nothing to her. Maybe he was hoping Epsom Salts would be harmful to Nebulans. Nah, that couldn't be it.

Melody Reynolds takes one hit- and then another! She reels back, and wipes blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's gonna be one of THOSE kinds of nights, huh." she says, and backs up. Ideally, in such a situation, she'd have her armor- or at least she'd be able to make use of the surrounding terrain...but this? Well, this is an exhibition match, and a 'fair fight'- just the kind of things that proper tactics tells her to avoid!

And so, winded, and hoping to take advantage of the situation, Melody...taunts. Badly. "Uh. Lars? Talia says you hit like a girl." A pause. "Only...like, a girl who isn't me or Talia. Because we're good at hitting people. Which you aren't?"

Combat: Melody Reynolds takes extra time to steady herself. [Pass]

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"I nevers said I was goods at its," Lars points out, taking advantage of Melody's apparent weariness to advance on her, pressing her with body blows!

Combat: Lars Daalgard misses Melody Reynolds with his Belly Bomber (Kick) attack!

Talia McKinley pauses, raises a brow at Melody. "Sugah, we have gotta work on yer trash talkin' skills. That was lamer than a one legged goat fallin' down a hillside." Oh well. She tries to butt in again, this time with a tired punch at the norwegian tanker again. The fellow proves to be dodgier than you'd expect a guy truckin' around in an armored box on treads to be.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Lars Daalgard with her Knuckleduster (Punch) attack!

"Goats?"

Melody blinks at Talia- but as Lars lashes out at her, she turns to the side, and grabs at his foot- and then as Talia lands a punch, Melody *YANKS!* on his leg, swinging in with her other foot in an attempt to stomp down on Lars' knee! Not hard enough to break it, of course, but it's not gonna be pleasant, either.

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her The boots! (Kick) attack!

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Lars Daalgard wrenches his foot away from Melody and steps back in time to avoid her kick, but Talia's punch manages to bop him on the jaw while his guard is down. He backs up a few steps and breathes deeply to recover his composure, although he's taken a lot of blows now and is obviously tiring as he comes back towards Talia with a straight right towards the chin.

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Talia McKinley with his Jab (Punch) attack!

Combat: Franklin Cross prepares Velum for surgery, her COMBAT flag has been waived.

Combat: Franklin Cross expertly heals Velum's injuries.

Combat: Franklin Cross is able to heal some of Velum's internal damage.

Talia McKinley gets clobbered in the face -yet again-! Good thing she's not the sort of woman to be overly worried about her looks, because that's gonna leave a bruise. And, partially due to her own exhaustion, knocks her on her back. She pants heavily a few times.. but apparently isn't quite out of it yet as she rolls over to get to her hands and knees, and then thrusts her legs up at the nearest person, which turns out to be Melody due to the way she fell.

Technically it's called a mule kick, but considering the nature of her voice it might bring another heavy kicker to mind.

Combat: Talia McKinley sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Talia McKinley strikes Melody Reynolds with her Applebuckin' (Smash) attack!

Melody Reynolds's stance falters as Talia strikes her hard in the ankle- oh, she's going to feel that tomorrow! Still, she makes use of the situation- first, clumsily jumping forward, perhaps aiming to get ON TOP of Talia- which gives her quite a better position to grab at Lars and yank him forward- and if he's not careful, he'll be yanked right into Melody's rising knee!

Combat: Melody Reynolds sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Melody Reynolds misses Lars Daalgard with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: Melody Reynolds strikes Talia McKinley with her Ruckus Area attack!

Combat: Talia McKinley falls to the ground, unconscious.

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Talia McKinley OOFS as Melody jumps on top of her on her way to get at Lars, taking another facefull of mat since she didn't bother actually getting up. "Uuuuh... Ah reckon.. that's enough fer me y'all." And flops right back down again, out like a light.

Lars Daalgard stumbles forward, and while he avoids Melody's strike, he tries to get one of his gloves behind Melody's head and give HER the rising knee instead!

Combat: Lars Daalgard sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Lars Daalgard strikes Melody Reynolds with his Counter Knee (Kick) attack!

As before, the ref begins the countdown, and as Talia doesn't get up before the count of ten, she's carted off to a table next to Velum! Epsom salts for you, young lady!

Combat: Franklin Cross prepares Talia McKinley for surgery, her COMBAT flag has been waived.

Combat: Franklin Cross expertly heals Talia McKinley's injuries.

Combat: Franklin Cross is able to heal some of Talia McKinley's internal damage.

Melody Reynolds takes a knee to the face! She sputters a foul mix of blood and saliva, and staggers back, reeling against the ropes...and finally, her head lolls down, and she holds up one hand in a classic 'I give' gesture.

"You win, Daalgard- I know I'm not that pretty, but I'd rather save myself the reconstructive surgery anyway." She spits a mouthful of blood onto the mat, and pushes herself forward, offering a bloodied hand to shake. "Well done."

Talia McKinley graugs and coughs a few times after a snort, followed by slapping the arm holding the salts away as she partially sits up. "Tarnation! Get that skunk ass 'way from me, what Ah need is a strong drink!"

"It's a trap!" Jesse Ventura yells on the commentary.

Jim Ross doesn't say anything. In fact, it sounds suspicously like he just threw his mic onto the table.

Lars Daalgard stands over Melody warily for a moment, then reaches down to help her up. "A goods fight, then. I think we cans say the EDC soldier is not to be trifles with."

The ref watches to see if Melody was, in fact, just trying to get Lars to lower his guard before he declares a winner. Gotta follow Olympic regulations!

Melody Reynolds smiles ruefully at Lars, "Honestly, I like to think we could've proved that point WITHOUT beating the hell out of each other, but..." she shrugs, and glances over towards one of the (many) groups of cameras before she moves to head out of the ring, grabbing a bottle of water from a handy intern. She dumps half of the bottle over herself, and drinks the rest! Yes, she's conceding the match- and would honestly be insulted if she knew she was suspected of doing anything but!

The ovoid ref, in that case, hops over to Lars, takes his hand with its stubby little apendage, and hops up into the air to raise his hand. The thing can't hover in mid-air, so it has to balance itself on his hip. It's an odd sight.