Overview
The purpose of this article is to share my experiences with running different types of mercenary campaigns. The various topics include the different range of mercs, how mercs operate in the TRAVELLER universe, TO&E for units, and examples of campigns that I've run. I hope this helps you with your campaigns.
THE MERCENARY IN TRAVELLER
As the handbook states, mercenaries run the gamit of low tech thugs/cannon fodder for hire to high tech, supremely capable military professionals. A merc could be a lone bodyguard or part of larger organization up to and including divisional size units. Where do mercs come from? Some will be retired military, some will be raw recruits from low tech worlds looking for an escape from their homeworld, or some might be from "mercenary worlds." A merc world, though barely touched upon in the OTU, is a common idea in science fiction. The concept of a poor world raising and training military units to fight offworld for others is quite logical. One can imagine a harsh desert world that breeds toughened fighting men who have no prospects at home, but are part of a military culture that gives them the opportunity to gain fame and glory and perhaps a little cash as a mercenary. In this scenario, the world's government would handle the contracts and deployment of the mercenary unit. Further along in the article, i will cover the nature of contracts and mercenary organizations. Another possibility for mercs is to be a member of an established, independent unit. Two examples would be Falkenberg's Mercenary Legion and Hammer's Slammers created in the works of Jerry Pournelle and David Drake respectively. One device that I used in several campaigns was the merc brokering agency. This is a company, Alternative Solutions LIC in my campaigns, that connects mercs with patrons. As a gamemaster, this worked very well as the characters got to operate in small units on realistic missions without the headaches of finding patrons, worrying about the Bonding Authority, and spending all their time on logistics. More on the Agency later. Mercs could also be part of a security force such as those at starports or on corporate payrolls. Other possibilities include the bodyguard, assassin, or gifted amateurs that take on mercenary missions on an ad hoc basis, read the typical TRAVELLER freebooters. This article focusses on the pure military campaign.
THE MERCENARY MARKET IN TRVELLER
Who hires mercs and for what purposes? Historically, mercenaries have been employed to supplement a nations own military by providing expertise, equipment, or perhaps even raw manpower that the contracting party does not possess itself. Examples include the ancient Greeks whose heavy infantry and phalanx warfare was superior to any other miltary of the time. The Romans reinforced their Legions with calvary and archers from around the empire. They also "hired" gallic and germanic tribes to fight against each other and against the various nomadic invasions Rome faced over the centuries. The British Empire used German mercenaries extensively in their colonies. More recently, the use of mercenaries in the 20th century have been seen in the 50's and 60's in Africa and Southeast Asia. There is no reason to believe that the miltary situation in the Third Imperium would differ greatly. Some possibilities for patrons would include governments on balkanized worlds seeking an edge on their neighbors, world governments facing internal conflict, the traditional counterinsurgency, a revolutionary movement needing real expertise and firepower to overthrow the existing government, aka the insurgency, or perhaps the Imperium itself. Why would the Imperium hire mercs? For the same resons that other empires have. The Imperial Army and Marines are lavishly trained and equipped, but limited in manpower. Surrounded by enemies, the Imperium is stretched to the limit to protect its borders. Why not hire a TL 9 mercenary battalion to protect an important starport on a TL5 world undergong a messy revolution? In interventions, Mercenaries are a relatively cheap alternative to the Marines, especially on lower tech worlds. While it is unlikely that mercenaries would be contracted for critical missions, peacekeeping and routine security operations would free up Imperial troops for more important work. In my campaigns in MegaTraveller, the Spinward Marches were hiring every merc unit available to resist the Vargr and Aslan Incursions. In the T20 universe, there isn't a current war, but the Vargr, Aslan, Zhodani, and Sworld Worlds are still threats. The most important consideration for who will contract a mercenary unit, however, is the type of merc unit in question. Large Units, Battalion-sized and greater, will typically be contracted by governments. Though a megacorporation could perhaps afford the MCr100+ that an infantry regiment would command for a short term contract, the need would have to be dire and the corporation would almost have to have Imperial permission to get the approval of the Bonding Authority. Outside of Imperial territory, of course, corporations could and would employ whatever forces they could afford. That is somewhat risky however as the contracts would not be enforceable under Imperial Law. The previous deals with larger, established military units. For small organizations, squad to company level, the market is much broader. A company, 100-200 troops would be more than sufficient to secure a Class A Downport against most non-military threats. Tech level difference between the mercs and potential hostiles is an important factor however. Contracting parties at this level would include corporations looking for special security forces on short term basis or strong arms to resolve labor disputes, corporate "agents" evicting squatters on corporate property, or perhaps even a force to deal with aparticular animal threat on corporate grounds. These are legal missions for "ticketed" merc units operating aboveboard. I will cover possibilities for dirty ops by unlicensed mercs later on. Other than corporations, wealthy individuals could conceivably have need of and afford a small merc unit. Household troops and body guards would most likely be mercs. Other possibilities include universities, worker unions, or groups of private citizens who have particular security needs that require a military capacity. For any concievable mercenary mission, the oppossite mission is viable as well. For example, if a corporation hired a platoon of mercs to strongarm a miners union into sighning a new contract, the union could hire its own mercs to protect itself. Another case would be that of a corporation hiring mercs to clear off farmers from disputed land that the corporation claims with the farmers contracting their own mercs to defend them. Hopefully, you begin to see the possibilities. Once again, however, the capabilities of the mercenary unit will be the greatest determining factor as to the type of mission that the unit could contract for. For example, a platoon of TL15 equipped, highly skilled mercs could not and would not take a contract to overthrow a despotic government on a hipop world, regardless of price.
CONTRACTS AND THE BONDING AUTHORITY
The use of mercs is governed by legally enforceable contracts within the Imperium. The certification, licensing, and hiring of individuals and organizations for military or paramilitary operations is regulated and policed by a department of the Ministry of Defense called the Bonding Authority. The Mercenary Laws of War are also enforced by this agency. Let's begin with the certification and licensing of mercenaries known as the "Ticket." Any retired military personell from Imperial service may apply for a mercenary "ticket" to legally enter contracts for mercenary work. Service records will be checked to verify weapon qualifications and troop leadership experience to determine the nature of the Ticket. There are levels of licenses for different mercenary roles. Here are some examples:
Level 1 Standard(Infantry)
The licensee is qualified to safely operate non energized small arms and self detonating, conventional explosive devices. The licensee is further qualified to function in a nonleadership capacity in a military combat unit.
Translation: A grunt below the rank of corporal who is trained in firearms up to the ACR, grenades, and disposable rockets with some infantry training.
Level 6 Standard(Mechanized Infantry, Grav) with Heavy Weapons,Energized And Demolitions Qualifications
Translation: Senior Non-Commissioned Officer qualified with weapons including everything up to the man portable fusion guns and emplaceable demolitions. Trained in armor and grav vehicles.
Level 18 Special(Field Grade Officer, Armor,Grav;Mech Infantry, Grav;Drop Troop, Unconventional Deployment) with Full Weapons Qualifications, Master, Instructor
Translation: This individual could command up to a brigade of any type of troops inluding spec ops drop troops and is qualified to not just to operate but also instruct others in every weapon in the conventional arsenal( not nucs or starship weapons)
Hopfully, you get the general idea of how the tickets would be organized and classified. For player characters their skills/feats and service ranks would essentially dictate how their tickets would read. Why would tickets be required by the Bonding Authority? There are several plausible reasons. Firstly, the government recognizes the need for mercs but isn't about to trust just anyone with military hardware. The individual ticket gives the Imperium a lever to control a merc from getting out of control. Secondly, the mercenary world is largely populated by retired Imperial Servicemen. This protects, to a large degree, these professionals from incompetence within their own ranks. Thirdly, this provides a measure of "quality control" within the industry, providing assurance to those hiring mercs. Still, why bother regulating mercs? The main motivation of all governments everywhere is to exploit revenue, tax, sources. The Bonding Authority Doesn't do anything with out fees. The cost of the lowest level ticket is Cr10000. The ticket for a divisional general is more than MCr10. As the individuals have licenses, so do the mercenary units. Not quite as detailed as the merc ticket, the Military Organizational License deals with a units TO&E, Table of Organization and Equipment. The more troops, higher tech equipment and weapons, obviously the higher the category and price of the ticket. Unlike individual tickets which are good for life unless upgraded, unit tickets must be renewed every five years. A Bonding Authority inspection team will physically verify a units troops and equipment with every license renewal. Random inspections can occur at any time as well. The price of unit tickets can range anywhere from Cr50000 for a low tech squad to over MCr100 for a large high tech unit. Tickets for retiring military personell will automatically be granted to honorable dischargees at one-half the cost with no special paperwork requirements. For others to obtain merc tickets, they must report to an Imperial Naval Base to fill out reams of paperwork and undergo testing by active duty personell to qualify for only the lowest level of tickets. The entire process can take up to a month. Bribery attempts are Not recommended. For a start up mercenary unit below batalion strength, the services of a specialized lawyer on the subsector capital can get the process completed in less than six months. For new units over batalion strength, the services of a team of lawyers at the the sector capitol can, with luck, complete the process in under a year. As a game master of a mercenary campaign, you can use the ticket as a means of controlling your players. Gently reminding them that hosing down the starport with guass rifles because a customs clerk annoyed them
would likely get their tickets yanked can be useful at times. It also gives you a plot device for adventures. The client tries to make the unit do something illegal and the mercs know that if they do it there will be consequences. This brings us to the Mercenary Laws of War. The Laws of War govern all miltary actions to protect combatants, noncombatants, and the valuable environments and infrastructure of Imperial member worlds. For the most part, use common sense to referee the laws. The laws include areas such as No weapons of mass destruction, ever, period. No orbital bombardments. Tactical air support and ground based artillery are legal. No deliberate targeting of civilians. Civilians bearing arms are legal targets. No indiscriminate destruction of private proprty. No damage or destruction of Imperial Property whatsoever. Surrenders must be honored and POWs must be humanely treated and cared for. Mercenary units will obey the orders of Imperial Military Personell or Government Officials to cease hostilities on command. All of these would of course be codified into volumes of legal texts that a high level skill of K/Interstellar Law, Laws of War would be required to master. This is why most larger units have at least one officer who on the commanders staff who specializes in this area to advise on the legalty of all operations. Optionally, you could require skill levels in k/IL.LOW as a prereq in officers merc tickets. The general point of the laws is to limit collateral damage and prevent wholesale slaughters by mercenaries. For the most part, the more established merc units are scrupulous in their adherence to the Laws and conduct themselves as honorable professionals, especially with other mercs. Read any of the Falkenberg books by Jerry Pournelle to get a feel for the honorable mercenary. The Bonding Authority will investigate complaints of violations of the Laws of War based on the nature of complaints, which laws were allegedly violated, and the reputation of the units involved. For example, complaints from a terrorist group that mercs mistreated some captured terrorists would get the same reaction as a report from a hipop worlds government that some mercs just nuked their capitol from orbit and nerve gassed the survivors. Use common sense to control your players from behaving like monsters but remember that military ops are brutal by nature. For example, leading an enemy force into a killsack and decimating it with artillery, mines, and direct fire is perfectly legal. The Bonding Authority gets its title from another aspect of the mercenary system, The Bond.
While legal contracts detail the responsibilities and obligations of the merc unit and hiring party as to mission, goals, timetables, caveats, et al., it is not the threat of litigation that keeps everyone relatively honest. It is the Bond. The bond is the mercenary units fee plus surcharges that is held by the bonding authority in escrow until the terms of the contract have been determined to be met by the authority. What this boils down to is that the patron can't violate the contract without the mercs potentially pulling out and getting paid even though they quit. It also protects the patrons from getting a merc unit that won't fight if that is what they were contracted for. The Bonding Authority is a "neutral" third party keeps everything kosher. That doesn't prevent, however, one side or the other losing out because of clever legal clauses in the contract. This is especially true for the mercenaries who use the best lawyers to draw up their contracts. Afterall, its their lives on the line not just their paychecks. The usual loopholes prevent the merc unit from being used stupidly or from violating the Laws of War. The goal of the merc is to complete the contracted mission with as few casualties and loss of hardware as possible. Few mercenary units are going to make costly frontal attacks into prepared defenses. In the event of a dispute between parties, the Bonding Authority will always investigate and make a ruling in a timely manner, weeks if not days upon arrival. So how does the system work overall? Is it corrupted at all? For the overwhelming majority, the Bonding Authority is meticulously fair and unbiased. If anyone has successfully bribed a BA official, its never become public. While the system is squeaky clean in the legal sense, their is room for political considerations. Certain merc units are commanded by officers with high level contacts in the Imperial Government and Military. These units work almost exclusively for the Imperium and "irregularities" in their TO&E may be overlooked. Furthermore, if the Imperium feels that their contracted mercs need certain weapons to accomplish their mission, the Laws of War will be bent or broken if necessary. Reputation does carry weight with the Authority. A long standing unit commanded by a noted professional will not face the same scrutiny as a unit with a poor reputation would. As a final note on the legal mercenary system, their is a fair amount of mobility between mercenary units in terms on people. Capable officers and NCOs are always in high demand. It could be compared to the situation with professional athletes today. A captain in the Infantry batalion Farook's Raiders may accept a position as a major in another merc unit when his contract with Farook expires. This is fairly common and rarely are hard feelings involved. Switching sides while under contract, however, is considered treasonous and will be dealt with accordingly.
MORE TO COME....
The purpose of this article is to share my experiences with running different types of mercenary campaigns. The various topics include the different range of mercs, how mercs operate in the TRAVELLER universe, TO&E for units, and examples of campigns that I've run. I hope this helps you with your campaigns.
THE MERCENARY IN TRAVELLER
As the handbook states, mercenaries run the gamit of low tech thugs/cannon fodder for hire to high tech, supremely capable military professionals. A merc could be a lone bodyguard or part of larger organization up to and including divisional size units. Where do mercs come from? Some will be retired military, some will be raw recruits from low tech worlds looking for an escape from their homeworld, or some might be from "mercenary worlds." A merc world, though barely touched upon in the OTU, is a common idea in science fiction. The concept of a poor world raising and training military units to fight offworld for others is quite logical. One can imagine a harsh desert world that breeds toughened fighting men who have no prospects at home, but are part of a military culture that gives them the opportunity to gain fame and glory and perhaps a little cash as a mercenary. In this scenario, the world's government would handle the contracts and deployment of the mercenary unit. Further along in the article, i will cover the nature of contracts and mercenary organizations. Another possibility for mercs is to be a member of an established, independent unit. Two examples would be Falkenberg's Mercenary Legion and Hammer's Slammers created in the works of Jerry Pournelle and David Drake respectively. One device that I used in several campaigns was the merc brokering agency. This is a company, Alternative Solutions LIC in my campaigns, that connects mercs with patrons. As a gamemaster, this worked very well as the characters got to operate in small units on realistic missions without the headaches of finding patrons, worrying about the Bonding Authority, and spending all their time on logistics. More on the Agency later. Mercs could also be part of a security force such as those at starports or on corporate payrolls. Other possibilities include the bodyguard, assassin, or gifted amateurs that take on mercenary missions on an ad hoc basis, read the typical TRAVELLER freebooters. This article focusses on the pure military campaign.
THE MERCENARY MARKET IN TRVELLER
Who hires mercs and for what purposes? Historically, mercenaries have been employed to supplement a nations own military by providing expertise, equipment, or perhaps even raw manpower that the contracting party does not possess itself. Examples include the ancient Greeks whose heavy infantry and phalanx warfare was superior to any other miltary of the time. The Romans reinforced their Legions with calvary and archers from around the empire. They also "hired" gallic and germanic tribes to fight against each other and against the various nomadic invasions Rome faced over the centuries. The British Empire used German mercenaries extensively in their colonies. More recently, the use of mercenaries in the 20th century have been seen in the 50's and 60's in Africa and Southeast Asia. There is no reason to believe that the miltary situation in the Third Imperium would differ greatly. Some possibilities for patrons would include governments on balkanized worlds seeking an edge on their neighbors, world governments facing internal conflict, the traditional counterinsurgency, a revolutionary movement needing real expertise and firepower to overthrow the existing government, aka the insurgency, or perhaps the Imperium itself. Why would the Imperium hire mercs? For the same resons that other empires have. The Imperial Army and Marines are lavishly trained and equipped, but limited in manpower. Surrounded by enemies, the Imperium is stretched to the limit to protect its borders. Why not hire a TL 9 mercenary battalion to protect an important starport on a TL5 world undergong a messy revolution? In interventions, Mercenaries are a relatively cheap alternative to the Marines, especially on lower tech worlds. While it is unlikely that mercenaries would be contracted for critical missions, peacekeeping and routine security operations would free up Imperial troops for more important work. In my campaigns in MegaTraveller, the Spinward Marches were hiring every merc unit available to resist the Vargr and Aslan Incursions. In the T20 universe, there isn't a current war, but the Vargr, Aslan, Zhodani, and Sworld Worlds are still threats. The most important consideration for who will contract a mercenary unit, however, is the type of merc unit in question. Large Units, Battalion-sized and greater, will typically be contracted by governments. Though a megacorporation could perhaps afford the MCr100+ that an infantry regiment would command for a short term contract, the need would have to be dire and the corporation would almost have to have Imperial permission to get the approval of the Bonding Authority. Outside of Imperial territory, of course, corporations could and would employ whatever forces they could afford. That is somewhat risky however as the contracts would not be enforceable under Imperial Law. The previous deals with larger, established military units. For small organizations, squad to company level, the market is much broader. A company, 100-200 troops would be more than sufficient to secure a Class A Downport against most non-military threats. Tech level difference between the mercs and potential hostiles is an important factor however. Contracting parties at this level would include corporations looking for special security forces on short term basis or strong arms to resolve labor disputes, corporate "agents" evicting squatters on corporate property, or perhaps even a force to deal with aparticular animal threat on corporate grounds. These are legal missions for "ticketed" merc units operating aboveboard. I will cover possibilities for dirty ops by unlicensed mercs later on. Other than corporations, wealthy individuals could conceivably have need of and afford a small merc unit. Household troops and body guards would most likely be mercs. Other possibilities include universities, worker unions, or groups of private citizens who have particular security needs that require a military capacity. For any concievable mercenary mission, the oppossite mission is viable as well. For example, if a corporation hired a platoon of mercs to strongarm a miners union into sighning a new contract, the union could hire its own mercs to protect itself. Another case would be that of a corporation hiring mercs to clear off farmers from disputed land that the corporation claims with the farmers contracting their own mercs to defend them. Hopefully, you begin to see the possibilities. Once again, however, the capabilities of the mercenary unit will be the greatest determining factor as to the type of mission that the unit could contract for. For example, a platoon of TL15 equipped, highly skilled mercs could not and would not take a contract to overthrow a despotic government on a hipop world, regardless of price.
CONTRACTS AND THE BONDING AUTHORITY
The use of mercs is governed by legally enforceable contracts within the Imperium. The certification, licensing, and hiring of individuals and organizations for military or paramilitary operations is regulated and policed by a department of the Ministry of Defense called the Bonding Authority. The Mercenary Laws of War are also enforced by this agency. Let's begin with the certification and licensing of mercenaries known as the "Ticket." Any retired military personell from Imperial service may apply for a mercenary "ticket" to legally enter contracts for mercenary work. Service records will be checked to verify weapon qualifications and troop leadership experience to determine the nature of the Ticket. There are levels of licenses for different mercenary roles. Here are some examples:
Level 1 Standard(Infantry)
The licensee is qualified to safely operate non energized small arms and self detonating, conventional explosive devices. The licensee is further qualified to function in a nonleadership capacity in a military combat unit.
Translation: A grunt below the rank of corporal who is trained in firearms up to the ACR, grenades, and disposable rockets with some infantry training.
Level 6 Standard(Mechanized Infantry, Grav) with Heavy Weapons,Energized And Demolitions Qualifications
Translation: Senior Non-Commissioned Officer qualified with weapons including everything up to the man portable fusion guns and emplaceable demolitions. Trained in armor and grav vehicles.
Level 18 Special(Field Grade Officer, Armor,Grav;Mech Infantry, Grav;Drop Troop, Unconventional Deployment) with Full Weapons Qualifications, Master, Instructor
Translation: This individual could command up to a brigade of any type of troops inluding spec ops drop troops and is qualified to not just to operate but also instruct others in every weapon in the conventional arsenal( not nucs or starship weapons)
Hopfully, you get the general idea of how the tickets would be organized and classified. For player characters their skills/feats and service ranks would essentially dictate how their tickets would read. Why would tickets be required by the Bonding Authority? There are several plausible reasons. Firstly, the government recognizes the need for mercs but isn't about to trust just anyone with military hardware. The individual ticket gives the Imperium a lever to control a merc from getting out of control. Secondly, the mercenary world is largely populated by retired Imperial Servicemen. This protects, to a large degree, these professionals from incompetence within their own ranks. Thirdly, this provides a measure of "quality control" within the industry, providing assurance to those hiring mercs. Still, why bother regulating mercs? The main motivation of all governments everywhere is to exploit revenue, tax, sources. The Bonding Authority Doesn't do anything with out fees. The cost of the lowest level ticket is Cr10000. The ticket for a divisional general is more than MCr10. As the individuals have licenses, so do the mercenary units. Not quite as detailed as the merc ticket, the Military Organizational License deals with a units TO&E, Table of Organization and Equipment. The more troops, higher tech equipment and weapons, obviously the higher the category and price of the ticket. Unlike individual tickets which are good for life unless upgraded, unit tickets must be renewed every five years. A Bonding Authority inspection team will physically verify a units troops and equipment with every license renewal. Random inspections can occur at any time as well. The price of unit tickets can range anywhere from Cr50000 for a low tech squad to over MCr100 for a large high tech unit. Tickets for retiring military personell will automatically be granted to honorable dischargees at one-half the cost with no special paperwork requirements. For others to obtain merc tickets, they must report to an Imperial Naval Base to fill out reams of paperwork and undergo testing by active duty personell to qualify for only the lowest level of tickets. The entire process can take up to a month. Bribery attempts are Not recommended. For a start up mercenary unit below batalion strength, the services of a specialized lawyer on the subsector capital can get the process completed in less than six months. For new units over batalion strength, the services of a team of lawyers at the the sector capitol can, with luck, complete the process in under a year. As a game master of a mercenary campaign, you can use the ticket as a means of controlling your players. Gently reminding them that hosing down the starport with guass rifles because a customs clerk annoyed them
would likely get their tickets yanked can be useful at times. It also gives you a plot device for adventures. The client tries to make the unit do something illegal and the mercs know that if they do it there will be consequences. This brings us to the Mercenary Laws of War. The Laws of War govern all miltary actions to protect combatants, noncombatants, and the valuable environments and infrastructure of Imperial member worlds. For the most part, use common sense to referee the laws. The laws include areas such as No weapons of mass destruction, ever, period. No orbital bombardments. Tactical air support and ground based artillery are legal. No deliberate targeting of civilians. Civilians bearing arms are legal targets. No indiscriminate destruction of private proprty. No damage or destruction of Imperial Property whatsoever. Surrenders must be honored and POWs must be humanely treated and cared for. Mercenary units will obey the orders of Imperial Military Personell or Government Officials to cease hostilities on command. All of these would of course be codified into volumes of legal texts that a high level skill of K/Interstellar Law, Laws of War would be required to master. This is why most larger units have at least one officer who on the commanders staff who specializes in this area to advise on the legalty of all operations. Optionally, you could require skill levels in k/IL.LOW as a prereq in officers merc tickets. The general point of the laws is to limit collateral damage and prevent wholesale slaughters by mercenaries. For the most part, the more established merc units are scrupulous in their adherence to the Laws and conduct themselves as honorable professionals, especially with other mercs. Read any of the Falkenberg books by Jerry Pournelle to get a feel for the honorable mercenary. The Bonding Authority will investigate complaints of violations of the Laws of War based on the nature of complaints, which laws were allegedly violated, and the reputation of the units involved. For example, complaints from a terrorist group that mercs mistreated some captured terrorists would get the same reaction as a report from a hipop worlds government that some mercs just nuked their capitol from orbit and nerve gassed the survivors. Use common sense to control your players from behaving like monsters but remember that military ops are brutal by nature. For example, leading an enemy force into a killsack and decimating it with artillery, mines, and direct fire is perfectly legal. The Bonding Authority gets its title from another aspect of the mercenary system, The Bond.
While legal contracts detail the responsibilities and obligations of the merc unit and hiring party as to mission, goals, timetables, caveats, et al., it is not the threat of litigation that keeps everyone relatively honest. It is the Bond. The bond is the mercenary units fee plus surcharges that is held by the bonding authority in escrow until the terms of the contract have been determined to be met by the authority. What this boils down to is that the patron can't violate the contract without the mercs potentially pulling out and getting paid even though they quit. It also protects the patrons from getting a merc unit that won't fight if that is what they were contracted for. The Bonding Authority is a "neutral" third party keeps everything kosher. That doesn't prevent, however, one side or the other losing out because of clever legal clauses in the contract. This is especially true for the mercenaries who use the best lawyers to draw up their contracts. Afterall, its their lives on the line not just their paychecks. The usual loopholes prevent the merc unit from being used stupidly or from violating the Laws of War. The goal of the merc is to complete the contracted mission with as few casualties and loss of hardware as possible. Few mercenary units are going to make costly frontal attacks into prepared defenses. In the event of a dispute between parties, the Bonding Authority will always investigate and make a ruling in a timely manner, weeks if not days upon arrival. So how does the system work overall? Is it corrupted at all? For the overwhelming majority, the Bonding Authority is meticulously fair and unbiased. If anyone has successfully bribed a BA official, its never become public. While the system is squeaky clean in the legal sense, their is room for political considerations. Certain merc units are commanded by officers with high level contacts in the Imperial Government and Military. These units work almost exclusively for the Imperium and "irregularities" in their TO&E may be overlooked. Furthermore, if the Imperium feels that their contracted mercs need certain weapons to accomplish their mission, the Laws of War will be bent or broken if necessary. Reputation does carry weight with the Authority. A long standing unit commanded by a noted professional will not face the same scrutiny as a unit with a poor reputation would. As a final note on the legal mercenary system, their is a fair amount of mobility between mercenary units in terms on people. Capable officers and NCOs are always in high demand. It could be compared to the situation with professional athletes today. A captain in the Infantry batalion Farook's Raiders may accept a position as a major in another merc unit when his contract with Farook expires. This is fairly common and rarely are hard feelings involved. Switching sides while under contract, however, is considered treasonous and will be dealt with accordingly.
MORE TO COME....
