The Scarman Enigma

[|Scarecrow|]

Kurt manning fired another blast with his right hand shotgun, taking out one of the suited bouncers. More of the hostiles had broken into the fight, firing from hidden positions across the nightclub. The civilians who hadnt managed to escape lay whimpering with their hands over their heads. The dance floor was strewn with quaking bodies, none of them brave enough to get up and make a run for it. Sayne Jadyn and the Black Flag Corsairs exchanged idle weapons fire with Manning and Anderson, almost as if they were toying with them.

Kurt ducked back down to reload, knowing that his enemy could kill him at any moment. He prayed to whatever gods there were that Sayne didnt have any grenades about his person. He stood up and fired again, the effect of his weapon shattering another speaker. He ducked back down into cover and leaned against the wall. Lucas was still firing away from his cover behind the overturned table. The two of them had stopped speaking on their channel ever since Sayne had interrupted.

Suddenly, the weapons fire stopped. The only sound to be heard was the steady whimpering of the frightened clubbers and the gentle tinkling of glass fragments bouncing on the floor. Kurt slowly raised his head above the bar. The scene that met his eyes was one of utter chaos. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, mixed with blood and sweat. Some were dead, others shook with fear. The surrounding walls and speaker systems were torn to pieces and the bar behind which Kurt hid was riddled with bullet holes.

Sayne Jadyn stood up, along with two others and gestured across to Manning.
Give yourself up bounty hunter, He said evenly, And this might not end with your life.
Id rather die than surrender to you Jadyn, Kurt spat, glancing across to where Lucas was taking cover. The Admiral had stood up fully and was looking Sayne squarely in the eye.
If you think were giving up now youve got another thing coming, Anderson backed up Kurts statement of defiance.
Sayne sighed, as if he had been through everything already. If we continue this you will both die, you must know this by now.
If we die, we martyr ourselves against your cause, Manning said, Fleet Admiral Merlow will just come for you with more vengeance at heart.
The esteemed Fleet Admiral will die trying, Sayne said with a mild smile. Fair enough, if that is your decision, then we shall continue this charade. Gentlemen

Jadyn gestured to his cohorts, ducking back down into cover. Kurt swiftly took up position once more, loading another two cartridges into his spent shotgun.
Lucas, He called over the bar.
I hear you, Anderson replied.
You wanna live forever? Manning rammed the cartridges home.
Hell yeah, Andersons voice sounded determined.
Then lets blast these ****ers to hell, Kurt stood up and leveled both shotguns at Saynes bouncers. The moment he pulled the triggers, several things happened at once. Sayne began to laugh once more, his cackle seeming to thunder over the blasts of Kurts weapons. Jadyns men opened fire once more, adding to the noise with the chattering of sub machineguns. And finally, and most bizarrely of all, the set of double doors that marked the entrance to the nightclub suddenly blasted inwards in a violent cloud of smoke and debris.

---

Seras Victoria blasted through into the nightclub, the barrel of her Harkonnen rifle glowing a vibrant amber. It hadnt been difficult locating Manning and Anderson. Once they had found Obsidians four and five, they had simply followed the sound of gunfire, leading them directly to the nightclub. Seras aimed her rifle at the nearest hostile and fired. The long gun lurched with the strength of the shot as the white hot bolt of plasma tore through the mans torso. Beside her, Miyu and Harada both jumped into action.

Miyu removed the head of one of Saynes men with one of her blades, darting past him in a blur. Harada rammed the end of her cane into the kneecap of one of the Black Flag Corsairs, snapping his leg like a twig. The man howled in pain, falling over into a devastating blow from the opposite end of the cane. The swift crack silenced the mans anguish for good. Seras aimed her rifle at a ruined speaker and fired, hoping to catch Sayne Jadyn off guard. As the speaker melted down into a sizzling puddle of liquid plastics however, Sayne was nowhere to be seen. A fire door at the back of the room clanged back into its frame as it was thrown shut from the outside.

Quickly, after him! Seras shouted. Miyu lunged for the door, barraging through it with her shoulder. Harada followed, using her cane to swing her around the stage and out through the door. Seras turned her rifle on another bouncer, reducing him to a pile of slag and limbs.

From behind the bar, Kurt Manning stood up and fired his two shotguns, eliminating another Corsair about to slash into Seras unprotected back with a bayonet. Lucas Anderson also emerged from cover, dealing with two more hostiles as they tried to make a run at Seras. His well placed shots took the men down, searing perfect holes in their foreheads.
Seras turned to Manning, smiling sweetly. Pleased to see me?
I could kiss you for the rest of the week woman, Kurt said as he vaulted the ruined bar.
Id rather you didnt, Seras shouldered her rifle and made for the door, Come on.

---

| S C A R E C R O W |

"See you space cowboy..."