Erma the Ermine

Erma Ermine is a Mobian ermine and a member of the Arctic Freedom Fighters, and is notably aggressive in nature. While others of the team wanted to deal with threats to their homeland peacefully, Erma was eager to fight from the beginning. However, she has since come together with her teammates in resisting the threat of the Eggman Empire.

Rescuing the Freedom Fighters
Having apparently received combat training in her past, Erma eventually joined up with the other Mobians who would become the Arctic Freedom Fighters. They had been visiting friends and family down south when Dr. Ivo Robotnik began his tyranny, forcing them to stay hidden within the region, unable to return home. When Robotnik's Weather Annihilator drastically altered the weather around Knothole, the Knothole Freedom Fighters found themselves trying to endure the sudden cold while Robotnik tracked them. They were soon found by Flip, who lead them to his friends; the group of displaced Mobians had been hiding in the cavern system but had adjusted the climate within to suit their needs by using technology stolen from Robotnik. While unwilling to fight back themselves, they helped the Knothole Freedom Fighters adjust to the winter conditions caused by the Weather Annihilator. After a week, the Knothole Freedom Fighters attempted to disrupt Robotnik's operations, only to be captured by Snively Robotnik and trapped in a block of ice. Finally deciding to get involved, Erma and Sealia attempted to free the group (Erma using a saw to help Sonic the Hedgehog escape the ice) while the others chased off their foes. With Robotnik's plans foiled and the Weather Annihilator destroyed, Erma and the others were finally able to return home, doing so in a vehicle stolen from Snively. (StH: #26, CSE)

Later Activities
Much later, the Arctic Freedom Fighters contacted Rotor to inform him that the herd, his family included, had been freed from Robotnik's control. Rotor lived with them for months until, once again, they suddenly fell under mind control and turned on him. Rotor very narrowly escaped; he was rescued by Erma and the others, who watched over him as he recovered. Prior to this, the Arctic Freedom Fighters had splinted over a conflict of ideology, Erma wanting to engage Robotnik's forces in battle while others in the group-like Guntiver and Sealia-wished to try more peaceful methods. In the face of Dr. Eggman's rise to power and the start of the Second Robotnik War, however, Erma's teammates reluctantly determined that her favored course was the best to take. Erma and the other Arctic Freedom Fighters were also among those present attempting to repel the Xorda Attack on Mobius. (StH: #85, #125, CSE)

Local Problems
In 3237, the Arctic Freedom Fighters sent a transmission to New Mobotropolis requesting assistance; the enslaved Walrus Herd was being used to construct and guard what seemed to be a refueling station of some kind, and a local branch of the Dark Egg Legion was overseeing the operation. Sonic eventually arrived to provide backup; upon greeting the Arctic Freedom Fighters, he admitted he hadn't been sure they had remained a group in the first place. Guntiver the Wolf explained that initially, they were more of an activist group; at this, Erma pointedly interjected that "Some of us had wanted to be more proactive." This earned her a glare from her leader, but she didn't back down. Prompted by Sonic and Guntiver, she then went over the group's plan of operations; with a visual aid, she went over in detail the actions of the Dark Egg Legion and the structure of their base, explaining that an emitter atop the base's tower ensured the Walrus Herd remained enslaved. As only Flip Penguin, Sealia and Augustus the Polar Bear would be able to attack the base's underwater portion, Sonic was needed to support Erma and Guntiver in attacking its upper half. When Sonic explained that Rotor could not join them due to the severe injuries he had received during the Destruction of Knothole, Erma reacted with sadness. While the group set off for the base, Sonic wondered why it was always the Walrus Herd being used against them, and Erma replied with the "obvious" answers that the walruses made up the largest population and had the most influential city of the region. The team soon arrived near the base and took cover; Sonic noted that there seemed to be bad weather moving in from the north, and Erma impatiently told him that if he was there to help, he needed to focus on the mission. (StH: #215)

Eager to get to work, Erma, with Sonic and Guntiver, charged into the Walrus Herd while the rest of the Arctic Freedom Fighters went after the underwater portion of Robotnik's Totem Base. When Sonic found himself confronted by brainwashed members of Rotor's family and unwilling to fight back, Erma, camouflaged, knocked the two unconscious before reappearing, much to Sonic's surprise. When he asked if such an ability made her a ninja, she impatiently told him to focus on the mission at hand. Once Rotor and Silver the Hedgehog succeeded in disrupting the mind-control effects on the herd and the rest of the team destroyed the remainder of the base, Erma leaped into Guntiver's arms, celebrating. She, along with the rest of the group, later enjoyed a victory meal in Iceborough. (StH: #216)

When Team Fighters arrived in pursuit of the Death Egg Mark 2, which had landed at a Legion bunker in the tundra, they were aided by Erma and her teammates. After providing Amy Rose with some cold weather clothing, the Ermine used her stealth skills to infiltrate the bunker, disabling the alarm systems and switching the holographic "Get Lost" sign to "Welcome" in order to signal her teammates of her success. When the two teams of Freedom Fighters stormed the bunker, Erma pulled a number of cables before becoming visible again, electrocuting several Egg Swats in the process. She and her teammates were then unexpectedly joined by Silver the Hedgehog, who had arrived to help. When Silver explained that he had identified Princess Sally as a traitor responsible for the devastation to his future, Erma was as shocked as the rest. When he also explained his reasoning that it was her Roboticization that had led to her role, Erma was quick to comprehend the matter, noting that the fragmentary history of such a period would likely not recall Sally's enslavement, or perhaps anything about the process. With Silver joining their team, the group continued their quest to rescue Mecha Sally, only to run afoul of Akhlut's pod while traveling through an underwater passageway.

As the Orca collapsed the tunnel, Erma called out orders to her aquatic teammates to face the whales, while calling upon Silver to get the rest of them to the Death Egg. Together with Amy and Guntiver, she was enclosed in a bubble created by Silver's powers, which then collapsed as Akhlut attacked the Hedgehog. Fortunately, Flip managed to get to Erma, swimming up into the Death Egg with her in tow. The pair of them were then shielded from lasers attacks by Augustus, who was wounded in the process. The entire team-along with the rest of their reality-was then swallowed up by the second Genesis Wave. (StH: #247)

PersonalityEdit Erma is a highly decisive individual who prefers direct, proactive, and even aggressive methods, which has been the source of some bad blood between her and the more pragmatic Guntiver. However, she has come to admire Guntiver's leadership, and even jumped into his arms with joy after their initial victory over the Legion. While still a loyal member of the team, she can be somewhat blunt, impatient and abrasive; not afraid to speak her mind, her attitude sometimes causes clashes with others. Despite her temper, she can also be fairly level-headed and logical, and displays the ability to remain cool under pressure.

AbilitiesEdit Ermacloak Erma comes out of camouflage. Erma, like most Freedom Fighters, is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, possibly as a result of having previously received combat training of one kind or another. She also possesses the Chameleon-like ability to turn invisible, though with limitations. This trait is apparently common in her species, as when asked by Sonic how she was capable of this, she responded "I'm an Ermine."

Background Information
Despite first appearing early in the comic's run at issue #26, Erma did not have a single line of dialogue until issue #215.

Appearance
Erma is an ermine with light brown/orange and white fur, blue eyes and pinkish-red hair. Her fur has varied between various brown tones in all her appearances, though her face has always been white (save for one brief panel in which it was light brown). Her hair was initially depicted as a curly poof of brown bangs; later, it became smoother in appearance and longer at the back, its color adjusted to a pink-tinted red. Despite once appearing brown, her eyes are blue. She initially wore a pink long-sleeved sweater (once colored green). As her design was later redefined, the shirt became a turtleneck with darker pink hems and she was given the addition of pink boots. She generally appears slightly on the short side and wears blue eyeshadow.