The Scarman Enigma

[Robert Merlow]

Armory, Tuatha de Danaan

Serov stood to the side while Merlow grabbed his weapons from the wall. Anger and disgust filled his thoughts. That sick bastard was back again, probably had leaked vital information about the flagship to someone on the surface, not everything perhaps but enough to mount an effective offensive. He had to prepare for the worse. The cogs were already in motion, as Sadukar units were flooding through ships, searching it deck by deck in six-unit squads. He had already authorized the new sense-sharing update for all Sadukar units, allowing them to share sensory information with their squadmates. Typhoons were already in space, patrolling around the ship, warning all ships in the area to steer clear of the damaged Dreadnaught. The Bretonian Cruiser HMS Yorktown was already in business, cloaked along side the Danaan with her own fighter compliment in space. Rear Admiral Nagato was on her way with her cruiser LNS Data Entity. Anderson and Manning were already on the surface, and Merlow was sure to personally send HiME members Harada Chie, Miyu Greer, and Seras Victoria to assist them. They were sent down in drop pods as little surprise to whoever this twisted Scarman had on the surface.

Serov looked Merlow up and down. Merlow had on his waist his Katana and Wakizashi on his left; extra magazines on his right along with a few grenades and two combat knives; on his shoulder holsters his two rail pistols; on his back his Liberty Arms Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle (LA SCAR); his customary dress shoes had been replaced by combat boots, both with two small throwing knives each in special hidden compartments. The rifle was slung outside of his trench coat, which was lined with projectile-resistant material, as was his combat gear.

Serov gave Merlow a thumbs up, "We're ready for war, my friend."
"Got a quote for me, oh mighty philosopher?" Merlow jabbed at Serov.
"What do you want? The Litany Against Fear, something out of The Art of War, perhaps one from the mighty Gloria Hellsing..." Serov trailed off, waiting for a reaction.
"Damn it, just give me something relevant!" Merlow snapped.
Serov laughed, he cleared his throat, "'May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't.'"
"Patton, eh?" Merlow mused, "Good choice."
"Thought you might like that one," Serov said with a bow.
"Well, let's get to it."
Merlow and Serov walked out of the armory, Admiral Scarman meeting them in mid stride. Together they walked to the turbo lift.

They made in to Deck 8. Three HiME were there to meet them: Combat-Colonel Alice Kr?ger, Intelligence Colonel Fujino Shizuru and Hunter-Major Isidora Reyna de la Rosa. The trio saluted as soon as Merlow stepped off the lift. He saluted back.
"Situation?" He asked.
"The alternate Scarman has already made his escape it seems," replied Shizuru, "We've reports of numerous opening in the Jefferies tube network and of a missing Thunderhawk transport. He's probably already on the surface."
"The prisoners?" Serov asked.
"Still in the Brig, Sir."
"We should kill them." Serov said, "Eliminate the problem before it gets any worse."
The stopped Merlow cold, "Wait, what!?" he exclaimed, "We're members of the Liberty Navy, not some ragtag group of criminals!"
Serov turned around to face him, "That one Brawler, or whatever the hell they call themselves, has caused so much damage and taken so many lives that he doesn't deserve to live."
Merlow's eyes flared, "What give you that authority?" he asked coldly.
"This does!" he screamed, raising his left sleeve, revealing a nasty brand in the shape of two letter Ds, "You remember those Domestic Disturbance bastards back in our home dimension!? Working for the f***ing Corsairs, those ***holes took me prisoner and beat the s*** out of me. I have no sympathy for these bastards." He lowered his voice, "The only reason I let that one poor excuse for a human being live was because I thought he might be useful. Apparently I was wrong." Serov stood there, dazed for a moment, seeming to relive the weeks of torture...
The six of them stood in the center of the hall, frozen for a moment. Merlow snapped his fingers in front of the dazed Serov.
"Look, no matter what those ***holes did to you, we're better than that. You know it, and I know it." he patted him on the back, then turned his attention to the HiME, "I want our automated defenses activated in the Brig and I want a squad of Sadukar and one HiME there." Shizuru nodded and activated her comm-link, transmitting the order.

The six of them walked on towards the open guest quarters. Two Sadukar stood at the open door, allowing Merlow, Serov, and Scarman to enter while the HiME hung back. Merlow replayed the video in his mind, watching that little girl slump down from the rifle strike. The sight made Merlow seethe.
"Gentlemen, we're heading down for the surface." Merlow said, anger emanating from his voice, "I need two squads of Sadukar on the surface before I arrive. Tell the Yorktown to drop pod some troops down. You." He said pointing to the HiME, "you're going down with us. Tom, Marcus, let's go."

---

Commander in Chief of the Migrant Fleet / Former Fleet Admiral of the Liberty First Fleet
Second Survivor of the Mentat Program.
We must give and take with good measure. Give too much, we become complacent. Take too much, we incur the wrath of our own. Tread Lightly.
--Supreme Bashar Robert Merlow--