Mad (mæd)

Enormous spoilers for the main and prequel stories, Mad being a major character in both.

History

Early life

Admiralty

Prequel Mad

image go here

 

Just like Stringer, Mad did not have much care for following the strict uniform regulations of the Cellean navy. That said, synthetics' dress code was somewhat looser, owing to Form-plating being far less easy to change than clothes, but Mad ignored even those, naturally.   For one, his combat gear and admiral's garb were functionally the same; he never changed between the two. His appearance was more remiscent of a HAST suit in its sheer bulk and size, even standing at an enormous 221 centimeters tall. His form-plating was thick, as were his limbs.   A notable element of Mad's appearance was the head; one styled vaguely after a shark, with a full articulated lower section that moved when he spoke. The fin on top was also relevant for removing heat from his head.

 

Skills and education

As with his equal Stringer, Mad, even during this period of his life, was absurdly skilled in both combat and commanding. A master of dueling, hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and melee combat in general, but also someone just as competent with managing the plans, logistics, and strategies of a fleet ten thousand strong and its attached ground forces of a few million soldiers and their equipment.   Of course, a significant part of all those skills is experience. While he has had very high-quality training from a variety of sources, Mad is also credited with hundreds of battles and thousands of duels. One of his favourite methods of conquest was to deploy into a major administrative, command, or political element of the enemy in the midst of a larger conflict, and personally, along with his personal guard, destroy it all, often taking prisoners to interrogate or publically execute, often both.  

Physical condition

Mad is an anomaly of a synthetic, though not originally. In his youth, his only special element was his height. But over the years of Cellean duty, he has, like most other Admiral-Captains, amassed quite a number of augments and upgrades. If you were to take his and Stringer's physical abilities and average them out and compare, you'd end up with them being roughly equal; Mad is superior in strenght, durability, and reach, but Stringer is more precise and can move faster more accurately. He also has a Predictive Analysis Interface, and is fast enough to act on any attacks it detects, even close-range.   Mad's strength is especially notable. He can punch through and shatter personal armour like Tarno's, and is capable of swinging a two-meter sword like it's just a regular longsword. His durability, too, is exceptional. His form-plating incorporates Carbon-Interlaced Aluminium Alloy, and is thus on a similar level as many heavier suits of power armour, though not quite that of a HAST suit. His large size allows his quite the reach, too, though it also comes with its own disadvantages.  

Weapons

Mad's main weapon during his Cellean days is the End of an Age, a mastercraft of a greatsword. At a full two meters long, with an extremely high-quality layered chain blade, a steel core under a graphene cover, coated in gold, it is an effective symbol of his power.

End of an age here pls

 

Personality

Despite his name, Mad is suprisingly calm most of the time, never really losing his cool. He maintains a calm, collected, and serious outlook at all times, from combat to command to free time. He does allow himself to be somewhat relaxed at times, but most of the time, he carries himself with the pride and distinction, and associated attitude of a Cellean Admiral-Captain. He does have a more caring and understanding side, shown mostly when interacting with Anni, but it's rare.  

"Get up. We're not done, there's still an hour of training left, Anni. Get up."   "But it hurts! My nose is bleeding a lot, and my neck really hurts!"   "It happens. You just need to get over it and keep going. Your opponents wouldn't give you time to recuperate, and you shouldn't expect it. Get up."   "But this isn't real fight! Can't I just take a little break to clean it up?"   "But what if it was real? You'll be facing these someday, better get into the mindset now.
...Fine, let's take a short, fifteen-minute break. I'm sorry, the point there wasn't to hurt you, I just forget how... fragile you are, relatively speaking. I'm used to far more durable and experienced sparring partners."

- Mad and a 14-year old Anni training, 2524, interstellar transit

  That said, his name hasn't come from nowhere. During combat, he still stays calm as always, but absolutely does not look like it. "Mad" is a nickname given to him by his compatriots long ago, born from a fairly reasonable perception. Just imagine: A two-meter tall, black-clad, heavily armoured soldier carving through enemies with a sword taller than most people, barely slowing down despite injuries, and most often found in the thick of fighting, leading an assault himself.  

Personal Relationships

Stringer

Mad and Stringer were, indeed, much like brothers. Both had by the time of the Omega-Delta Disaster, fought and warred alongside each other for over a century, bonded, and built a friendship based on mutual trust and respect. That said, they, as any two people, did not always get along. In particular, Mad took significant issue with Stringer's approach to conquest and his liberal use of orbital bombardment and WMDs as an example for other nations. This in part would lead to Mad's betrayal, the idea of which alone tore at his heart.

"That's 15 kills for the Orator. How much does the Kauhunkylväjä have again, hmmm Mad?"   "Haven't checked. More that yours, probably. I did more there anyway, without my command cluster you would've taken more losses for sure."   "You're just jealous I'm the better Captain."

- Stringer and Mad, circa 2464, Orbit of Teklis

 

Anni

Despite how relative little the two had known each other before the Omega-Delta Disaster, Mad got along with Anni really very well, likely because of the two's shared opinions of the Cellean empire. Mad decided to train her to a decent standard of skill nearly immediately after adopting her, and, while hesitantly, he allowed her to take part in a search party to the Orator.

"Come on, Dad, why can't I go? It's just a little search party, and I can go with some of your troops! I want to go, fight with you!"   "It's not that severe, no, but still. There could be all sorts of traps and ambushes set up in the hours the Orator's been down there. But then again, this is a good opportunity for real combat training and an experience with the enviroment... Fine. I'll let you go. But only if you stick with a squad of my personal guard. They'll protect you, and they know what to do.

- Mad and Anni, circa 2529, Orbit of Desterat

 
 

Prequel Story Proper

  While the prequel's very first scene focuses on Stringer, the first scene chronoligically does not. Instead, it begins with Mad aboard the Kauhunkylväjä getting reports of the vanguard fleets' likely demise. Stringer wakes up on his flagship not long after that. Half a year or so later, and the two, and their captain-commanders, convene a meeting to discuss the plan going forward.   When the fleets arrive in-system properly, Stringer decides to move onward toward the only meaningfully settled planet in the system, Desterat, where Mad decides to hang his fleet back, citing engine issues on the larger battleships. In reality, he realized a perfect opportunity to finally turn his back on the Cellean empire and to take out both the 27th and 28th fleets from its control. He would strike up a deal with the grossly outmatched Dragon's Hoard Cluster's defensive fleets, promising his fleet's assistance in destroying the 27th Cellean Fleet, and then disbanding his own. From there, he would then move toward Desterat.   In orbit of Desterat, the 27th was already engaged, and had been for a week or so. Through both his skills as a commander and an advantage in nearly every factor, Stringer was heading toward a very simple victory. That is, until Mad decided to engage his fleet. This flipped the entire battle over. The 27th fleet was completely sandwiched between its two opponents, and over two weeks' time, would start to crumble. At some point, a ship from the Dragon's Hoard fleets, the Serica's Warden, would slam into the Orator, somehow managing to slip through the chaotic battle, and push it on a trajectory straight to Desterat's surface. With heavy damage sustained from the 28th fleet, the ship could do little against it.   Once the Orator had been grounded, Mad would descend to the surface to find Stringer, Anni insisting on coming with him. He dispatched troops to the wreck of the battleship, and started scouring the area himself with his personal guard. Eventually, he finds Stringer, along with the fairly injured Anni. He quickly orders her to be evacuated, and the duel both him and Stringer have awaited begins.   The duel was unmatched by anything in the nearest hundred lightyears, a match between two superhuman fighters with over a century of experience, at peak preformance, focused on nothing else. The Orator could've been bombarded from orbit, and the two would not have ceased combat at all. Even calling it a duel is a disservice of some sort, as it goes far beyond most duels in human history. Strikes as efficient as possible, struck several times a second, blocked, parried and dodged with just as little effort as possible. It continues on for mere minutes, but feels so much longer. At some point, Mad manages to stab trough Stringer's side, and Stringer removes Mad's jaw with two precise strikes. But of course, nothing lasts forever.  

"This is what I call a necessary evil, Stringer! You may call the Cellean empire one, I call this one! But do ideologies really matter anymore? Stringer, this is some of the most fun I've had in a long while! An all-out duel, with an opponent you know in and out, what more could one want?!"   "Fair enough! You know me too well. I'd wager this is the most fun I remember since our very first meeting! The sting of my cuts, my heart beating in my chest, the rush of blood in my ears, it all feels so... natural. I can't lie to you now; as unfortunate as the circumstances may be, I am glad to fight you like this now, Mad!"   "Come on then! Let's step it up once more! Come and kill me, or I do the same to you!"

  At the very climax of the duel, Stringer is pushed to a cliff's edge. He stumbles, ever so slightly, as an explosion rocks his wreck of a flagship. And suddenly, in a dissapointing end to the pair's duel, he plummets, and is quickly out of view. This infuriates Mad, quite a bit. He knows Stringer, and feels there's no way he could have survived. Enraged, he orders an evacuation of his troops and himself off of the rock, and decides to enact orbital bombardment from his fleet onto the corpse of the Orator.   Some time later, after all of the 27th fleet has surrendered, ran away, or been destroyed, Mad concludes his deal with the system's forces, and dissolves his fleet, taking the Kauhunkylväjä elsewhere.  
 

Interim

During the period between the two stories, Mad would eventually recognize that all he now really lives for is fighting people. Little else interests him that much, and, while he also enjoys making and being able to spend money, he loves duels above all else, especially ones to the death. He would then go onto to form a criminal organization on a habitat called Enin, and after less than a decade, Stringer would show up, much to Mad's surprise. The two would come to blows once again, and Mad's organization would end up collapsing. He would leave with Anni and another general, and would form a new one, creating a cycle of sorts where Stringer finds Mad's organizations and they end up collapsing, only for him to form new ones.   Over this period, Mad would collect his current entourage of generals around him. Anni has been with him since the start, naturally. Chaer was recruited about 95 years ago, and became general 66 ago. Gvanhla has been in the semi-general position he's in for a good 250 years, and Olitsionceda has been a general for seven years now.
 

Main Story Mad

Mad Portraits by MadToxin

 

Mad by MadToxin

During the main story, Mad dons a rather different outfit. He still is heavily armoured and very large, but less so. The major qualities are still there; he is as tall as ever, his armour is composed of thick, black plates with gold engravings, and he still has his shark-style head.   Two major, specific differences exist however; for one, Mad's armour is now bereft of all Cellean iconography and Admiral-Captain symbols. He still carries his Shoulderpad allegiance icon, but nothing else. The other difference is his distinct lack of a jaw. There is a small chunk of it left, which still moves when he talks, but nothing significant. He could have had it fixed, but instead left it there in respect of his old friend.

Skills and education

"Mad? Oh, you don't stand a chance. None of you do, not on your own."   "Not even with my Synthetic Battery Overdischarge? All four of us together?"   "SBO wouldn't be enough. The four of you might be, but there's a point where more people against a single one gets messy. Mad is an absolute monster. About as good as fighting as me, pretty exactly. Not only are you nowhere near as skilled, his physical abilities are quite a bit above any of you. Jon, he's stronger than you, he's faster than Skejon, and tougher than Quaken. None of you measure up, sorry.   But you don't need to. It'd be a worst-case-scenario; instead, I fight him, while you manage the other generals, if necessary. It'll be fine, you can do decently well against them, they don't match Mad either."

- Stringer and the main gang, 2876, Lanfal City

  Mad's skill has in no way dimished from 350 years ago. While his strategic ability may have been somewhat stagnant due to lack of new experience, his combat skills have not. As skillful as ever, he is near-unmatched by most people. Only a scarse few people in human history could match his level of skill. None in any of the stories, save for Stringer, can.   His management skills have also gotten a fair bit better; as leading several organizations over the centuries would necessitate. He is also quite charismatic if need be, and is very good at managing people in general; from negotiations to intimidation, he is quite good at it all.  

Physical condition

Same as Stringer, Mad has not been neglecting his physique. Over the years, he's gotten upgrades for his abilities; greater strength, faster movements, better balanced power. His reactor is also quite a bit larger than most other synthetics, mostly due to his sheer power. This also necessitates extra cooling for his body, though this was already a concern during his Cellean days.   Despite all his combat-focused enhancements, Mad has also invested in quite a few more utility tools. His hands are far more dextrous, his brain-computer has an actual computer connected to it, and he can process information much faster than before.  

Weapons

Mad's End of an Age still remains in his posession, in all its former glory. Mad has hardly touched its design or improved its power, he doesn't need to. The sword still cuts through personal armour like a hot knife through butter, and has barely been nicked or bent out of shape even once. The gold coat is as clean as ever, and the engravings remain as is. He also carries an exceptional coilpistol, crafted by none other than Gvanhla.

The other major weapon he carries is, of course, his body itself. Like Stringer, Mad is an exceptional hand-to-hand fighter, nearly as capable without his sword as with it. He may be a swordsman at heart, but he can do just fine with his fists. His punches are like veritable strikes of a sledgehammer, and his kicks can shatter even Quaken's form-plating with little difficulty.

 

Personality

While it's lessened somewhat, Mad remains outwardly as serious as ever. His presence exudes a sense of power, which tends to make negotiations easier, what a shocker. That said, he does let up that front when with his generals, as he does think of them as genuine friends more than anything. Their perception of him varies, but he regards them all roughly the same, save for Anni, of course.   Mad despises authority as a whole. He himself may be an authority figure as well, but he regards it differently, however accurate that is. The hierarchy of the organization is largely in place for logistical reasons, and hypocritical as it may be, he does somewhat enjoy the power, despite his dislike of the fact. It was part of why he was an Admiral-Captain for so long, after all.   He also has a hobby of collecting, assembling, and painting miniature models of spaceships, mostly warships.  

Personal Relationships

Organization

Anni

Mad's parental love for Anni has not diminished one bit over the centuries. In fact, it's only really grown more powerful as she's matured and grown into an incredibly capable fighter, only surpassed by few, like Mad himself. He even granted her the position of second-in-command and 1st General in his organization, though mostly still due to her command and logistical abilities, though the familial ties did have an impact.  

"Gotta love the smell of a burning house, something real special in it. Reminds me of the old days, eh dad? Remember Dyativ, whatever it was again... Varaniesko? Tried to take me out, even got my leg good. His screams were nice."   "Reminds me too much of the older days sometimes, before you. The heat and smell of a burning house is one thing, but a city aflame is not something you forget. Good. I much prefer the smell of blood on my steel, anyway."

- Anni and Mad, circa 2821, Rynniipääl

Chaer

Mad appreciates Chaer for being brutally honest and generally just brutal in combat. He's competent, for one, and while Mad may take some issue with his personality at times, he gets the job done, and is exceptional in making an example of the targets of the Brute Force Squad he leads. Unlike the other generals, Mad had no hand in recruiting Chaer, he simply climbed the ranks through sheer skill, manouvring, and brutality. He also respects the military mindset and upbringing both have.  

"SBO, Chaer? Impressive. I didn't know you had it in you. It's quite an rarity and a useful tool. Maybe I should assinging even more challenging tasks to your squad. They seem to improve your growth rather significantly."   "Thanks, sir. I would be more than honoured to do more for you, especially if the fights get tougher. The reward of a shower of blood is worth all the more when the route there is hard."   "That... is a spirit, certainly. Keep it up, though. You're making very good progress toward taking Niuen's position as General."

- Mad and Chaer, circa 2801, SG-5d-5 c

The Rest

Mad is not an uncaring employer. While occasionally the military mind comes forth and he views reports as mere numberwork, he tries to make time to be polite and friendly with his underlings. Of course, this isn't an absolute, and dealing with something like, say, the brute force squad, his attitude sours, and so he leaves managing them to their leader, Chaer.  

"So, uh, boss? This mission is a pretty minor one. Why are you sending five people to it? This needs maybe three, two if you want to be efficient."   "Minor as it is, it's something Gvanhla wants done this instant. I trust you five, and while I'd prefer a more personal view of your work, the numbers don't lie, now do they?"

- Mad, 2833, Rynniipääl

Olinda

Olinda has always been a particular focus of his more parental side for Mad. Found as a teenager, much the same as Anni was, Mad took Olinda in and realized his potential, equally as well as seeing a youth in trouble. Over the years, remarkably few of them compared to the other generals, Olinda came to become an excellent assassin and leader, and eventually got the place of General. Mad isn't a big fan of Gvanhla experimenting on him, but deems it ultimately fine, as it was voluntary on every side.  

"You've outdone yourself, Gvanhla. A live subject like this? Impressive. That said, did you need to neuter his emotions so much? He wasn't much of a conversationalist to begin with, I admit, but this feels... excessive."   "Gotta admit, chief, it wasn't intentional. The idea was to allow him to regulate his emotions for combat situations, being able to reduce them to next to none voluntarily. Clearly there's something, maybe specific to him in the brain or just a feature of synthetic architecture. Whatever the case, this warrants more research. I should have some notes around here somewhere, gotta append those, get a hypothesis going and . . . "

Mad and Gvanhla, circa 2855, Earth

Gvanhla

Gvanhla is special. Where the other generals are in varying sorts of lower positions compared to Mad, be those familiar, near-familiar, or otherwise lower in the hierarchy, Gvanhla is not. He is older than Mad, was already in a very good way when they met, and continues to be more of an equal than a subordinate, serving as Mad's trusted advisor and supplier of experimental and potent equipment. The two like discussing their respective fields of expertise with one another. Mad in particular enjoys Gvanhla's experiments, and he is the main roboticist to upgrade Mad when he so wants. Despite all that, he does sometimes get uncomfortable with how far the scientist's experiments go, and the topic of the Excitatus Iterum ad Metendum Anima is a bothersome one for Mad, as he really does not like the Ruin-Engine.  

"The new upgrades have proven very useful. I hit the standard 150 meter pistol course with 13% greater accuracy than before. Impressive, Gvanhla."   "Thanks, boss. Now, about that funding for my project. The estimated cost, for now, is somewhere near the region of -"   "You know how I feel about you making a body for that thing. With quality like this, I will keep up your funding plenty willingly, but you need to be careful you don't get complacent."   "Yeah yeah, calm your tits, I know. The machine is in my full control, and I intend to erect as many safeguards I can."   "I trust you will, but that's not my meaning. I value your council and expertise, and really do appreciate you as a friend, Gvanhla. But understand. If you overstep your bounds, wide as they are, the only impact that value will have is in hindsight."

- Mad and Gvanhla, 2872, Lanfal City

Stringer

Stringer and Mad, despite their many extensive conflicts and disagreements, still remain extremely cordial and even friendly with each other. While it is all coated in pure hostility and intent to kill, they talk to each other like siblings, exchanging greetings and goings on as if they hadn't been feuding for the past 350 years.  

"Evening, Mad. How's it going? I'm here to shut you down again, obviously. You know that."   "Always evening somewhere, eh Stringer?"

- Mad and Stringer, 2834, Rynniipääl

Quaken

Intially, Mad may regard Quaken as nothing more than one of Stringer's lackeys, but he quickly grows to consider him, and the main gang as a whole, as a genuine threat. Eventually, when the final confrontation with Quaken alone comes, Mad now takes him entirely seriously, and even respects him somewhat for his dedication and persistence on the mission.  

"A certain respect has to be owed to anyone willing to fight for their ideals. That is simply a consequence of adhering to a system of honour like mine. You certainly deserve it. It's not stopping me from slaughtering you and displaying your faceplate in my throneroom, but you will forever remain in my memory alongside the likes of Saeri, Clint, and Stringer."

- Mad to Quaken, circa 2879, Lanfal City

 

Main Story Proper

Mad is largely absent from the main story; his role is more of an final opponent of sorts. Still, he does have a presence throughout, and is a major player in it.   Mad's very first scene in the story is when the main gang, specifically Tarno and Jon, find him in New Suterr. He seems to be conducting a trade deal of some kind, and is negotiating with some dude personally on a platform between the sprawl of high-rises. The two decide to attack the crimelord, and Tarno draws a pistol taken from one of his mooks, and fires. Being a coilpistol, Mad's PAI detects it, and he precisely deflects it into his partner, citing the eventual need to get rid of him anyway. Tarno then charges forth, Jon following soon behind. At that moment, the two recognised that they may not be able to win, based on Stringer's explanation of Mad. They were, however, somewhat confident that they could hold off until Stringer got to their location.   They could not.   The two may have both been largely competent, exceptional, even, fighters, but Mad is better. In a few seconds at most, he strikes Tarno in the face with a quick jab, then delivers a devastating punch to his abdomen, shattering his armour- something that did save his life. Jon fares no better, Mad effortlessly evading his attack despite his size, and twirling around to levy a roundhouse kick straight to the back of Jon's head, slamming it into the ground. Stringer arrives not long after, right on time, and begins to fight Mad instead, letting the two back off safely.   Stringer and Mad then begin their duel, though unarmed, at near-maximum focus. In Stringer's plan, this would be the final duel; he assumed he could beat Mad here. Mad, however, has different plans. The duel rages on for a decent while, both parties going at it at a functionally equal level. While Stringer's attacks barely harm Mad, he can throw him around and sometimes, his attacks can manage to do some damage if he hits less armoured sections like joints. But at the end of the day, he is outmatched without his sword. Blunt damage is very ineffective against synthetics, where a layered chain blade is distinctly not.   However, at one point, Mad does manage to get a strike in on Stringer, landing a punch that would kill most men, and slamming him right through a door. Stringer, however, is not most men. The attack manages little more than a bruise and some broken skin, partly due to Stringer dodging it skillfully, and partly due to his augmented durability. However, Mad decides that he no longer wants to partake in this duel, citing both that Stringer is not at his full ability, and that he has business to attend to, and departs the city. This puts quite the wrench into Stringer's plans.   Eventually, the main gang make it back from New Suterr, and quickly plan and begin an attack on Mad's base. Mad recieves notice of their intrusion rather quickly, and decides to gather his generals to determine what to do. Not long after, Stringer, and the main gang, bust in through the door to Mad's big main chamber thing. They then begin to duel once more, this time with their swords. The duel is immaculate; two superhuman masters of their craft, facing off one final time, not to determine which is more capable, nor to clash ideals, but only for fun, and to resolve the conflict neither particularily cares about. The two live to fight the other, and death conserns neither, as long as it comes in a good duel.   And that does indeed come. Over a few minutes of fierce combat, unrelenting in intensity and unmatched in sheer power, the two are rudely interrupted by Tarno, who ends up shooting Stringer through the leg. In the heat of the moment, Mad takes this advantage, and slashes Stringer right down the body, and stabbing him right through him main heart. This, of course, does not kill him, and he takes time to relay a farewell to Mad and the main gang, pleading that they be allowed to leave in peace. Mad obliges, and Stringer collapses. Mad takes his blade, and skewers it through Stringer's neck, destroying his spine and finally killing him. Not an act to disgrace, nor to shame, but one of respect and pragmatism; Stringer would live on had Mad not done so. He lets the main gang leave in peace, as much as he dislikes the idea of letting Tarno go.   At some point, Mad would leave for Earth, to go check on Gvanhla in the Lunag Ri Base. During this time, Quaken would end up near-fatally injuring Anni, and leading the main gang to leave for Earth in chase of Mad. They would get stranded for years, during which time Mad would return home, and find his daughter recovering from her wounds, something to stoke his hatred of the main gang further.   The next time we see Mad is at the very end of the main story. At some point, he recieves a dying message from Anni, telling him to leave the city, and not long after, his base is obliterated from orbit by the main cannon of the Stalwart Sentinel. Quaken soon descends onto the city, and finds Mad there, mourning everything he's lost, though no less ready for a fight. Quaken obliges.  

"You! You piece of trash! You and your little group have destroyed all I know, for what? Stringer?! His 'legacy'?"   "No. Not anymore. Maybe at first, it was about that. Maybe my main motivation was to do so, perhaps a sort of vengeance for him. But now? You and your gang have killed everyone I know as well, and my hatred for you is fuelled by nothing but the sense of avenging their deaths. Nothing else matters anymore. You will die, regardless of what happens to me."   "So, that's what it's about. How... pitiful. Admirable, I suppose, but pathetic. Hanging on to the personal mission of a dead man, sacrificing anything for it. Not that it matters much anyway- a duel's a duel, and I am not one to refuse one. Fine then! Come on, fight me! Give me the duel I was so rudely denied of with Stringer!"

  Quaken is, at his base state, as it were, does not hold up to Mad. Even with his normal usage of Synthetic Battery Overdischarge, he still doesn't quite manage. For a while, struggles on in an uphill battle against the 500-year-old superhuman veteran of a thousand conflicts. He tries, and tries, and even manages to knock Mad's sword out of his hands, though he also loses both his wristblades. The duel is now a hand-to-hand brawl, something both parties excel at.   After Quaken thoroughly realizes he's not winning, he decides to go all out, forsaking his own well-being in order to power SBO to the absolute maximum, despite the damage it'll cause. This actually gives him an edge. His durability and skill remain the same, but his raw physical ability skyrockets to a point where Mad can't even keep up with his speed, mostly; his eyes can follow Quaken's movements relatively well, he just can't respond. That said, this is still Mad, and he keeps up rather well despite the situation. The fight goes on and on, both sides getting gradually worn down. Quaken manages to take Mad down for a moment, but he just gets up again, and vice versa. Neither party is going to lose, and neither have anything left to look forward to or lose. Both are content with the idea of dying, but Quaken wants to kill Mad even if he himself dies.   Eventually, after both are barely standing, Quaken manages an opening to take out Skejon's sword, and actually strikes Mad directly in the reactor. It detonates, being so powerful, and his battery banks are dead as well. Mad, the near-ancient warrior, dies. Or at least, that's what Quaken thinks. Mad gets up, once more, with a hole in his chest and a missing arm, and fights even still, against Quaken, now unable to trigger SBO. But then, after a moment, the two square off one final time. As Quaken waits for Mad to make a move, he doesn't. He waits, and waits, until he realizes: Mad is dead. Finally, at last, Martte "Mad" Silkkanen has died, standing, fighting, doing what he loved.