Megalodon Mercenaries

Megalodon Merc working under Arlon Marcozo

The Megalodon Mercenaries are an organized crime and terror syndicate, secretly operated by Howl Dominae, CEO of the Megalodon Corporation.

## Summary

The Megalodon Mercs are paid guns-for-hire, employed by the Megalodon Corp to create violence and unrest on the colony of Ballast. In general, they are outfitted with stolen Spartan gear. In all applicable cases, this includes prototypes of the Recluse helmet and the Air Assault armor set. That being said, the mercs are not Spartans, in any regard. In general, the mercs are armed with modified, stolen Assault Rifles but they have access to other weapons such as SMG's and Shotguns.

Regardless of gender, all Megalodon Mercs wear the same armor combo, however the colors of the armor are shown to have deviation. The mercs that appear in Huntress sport a yellowish-tan color, similar to the colors of Arlon Marcozo. In Lineage, the Megalodon Mercs who captured the Shukka Shipping Wharf are shown in mostly black/grey gear.

This may be a result of their gear being comprised entirely of stolen prototype gear, the colors of which would be neutral by default. Commanding members among the Mercs are shown to sport light blue accents on their armor.

## Combat Tactics and Hierarchy

### Combat Effectiveness

Being comprised of hired guns and thugs as compared to actual soldiers has resulted a wide range in mission effectiveness. According to the news reports in Lineage, the Megalodon Mercs have succeeded in multiple instances of crime and terror, including bombings. They have even successfully captured large amounts of UNSC equipment and hold an intimidating enough presence to vacate entire sections of the bustling Shibi Plaza marketplace.

Conversely, their skills seem to fall flat when properly challenged. Agent Twenty-Seven is able to defeat multiple mercs at once without so much as being shot. She was even able to out maneuver and destroy a mercenary controlled Mantis. During the Shukka Shipping Wharf incident, Fireteam Patron successfully eliminated at least 20 Megalodon Mercs, including their shot-caller with zero causalities on their end.

Ultimately, when put face to face with experienced combatants or Spartans, the Mercs are ineffective. In order to close the skill gap, waves of mercs are deployed at a time, in hopes of overwhelming opponents. Arlon Marcozo even directly highlights this flaw, saying that Twenty-Seven *"Will tear through your (Howl Dominae's) goons like paper"*. To that same regard, the mercs are able to over power local authorities and lesser threats.

### Command Hierarchy

The Megalodon Mercs appear to follow a simplistic command format. The mercs operate within groups of 3-6 under the command of a shot-caller. A shot-caller can have several groups under their watch depending on the assignment. Arlon Marcozo had at least 8 mercs under him during the events of Huntress, all of which he gave orders to directly. The shot-caller during the Shukka Province Incident commanded at least 19 mercs. The number of mercs assigned to a shot-caller may be relative to the mission importance.

## Trivia

* More Megalodon Mercs are killed in the first 4 minutes of *Lineage*, than in the entirety of *Huntress*.
* They are referred to simply as goons by both Arlon Marcozo and Ashah Sidana in two separate instances.
* The nickname, *The Huntress*, was given to Agent Twenty-Seven by Megalodon Mercs.