RE: Mercs

G'day,

> 6) Let us not ignore the fact that not everyone 
> is cut out to be a soldier. This is sometimes a 
> good reason to hire mercenaries. I expect the 
> IAS or some NGOs or small corporations might 
> hire merc security or other special teams on 
> the rare occassions where power projection or 
> personal security forces are required. 

The IAS owes its very existence to mercs. Excerpt from IAS timeline:

	In late 2048 a consortium of mineral exploration companies put
forward a petition to the UN asking for access to the Antarctic fossil
fuel
and uranium resources. When this was denied in mid 2049 they took
advantage
of the chaos created by the collapse of the US and the recent creation
of
the Eurasian Union and sent in a mercenary force. 

	In May 2053 the Eurasian Union sacks all of its scientists with
(or
rumoured to have) IAS citizenship or affiliation and denies it ever gave
over its subantarctic islands. In response the IAS employs mercenaries
to
protect its holdings - this stretches their meagre finances.

	Then on Mid-winters night in 2057 they ousted the mining
companies
in what may be thought of as a brief and bloodless coup (frozen bodies
don't
bleed much...). The main action was little more than locking the miners
and
mercenaries out. However, they had landed a mercenary force of their own
on
the continent to support them. This was not the end of it and sporadic
raids
continued for 9 and half years before they were officially recognised as
holding the continent of Antarctica. This recognition came more for the
fact
that once again they'd proven themselves indispensable in scientific and
engineering positions - and some were also being groomed as crew members
for
the early UN interstellar exploration teams.

	A small mercenary force was included in the <original IAS>
colonisation expedition to fend off claim jumpers (whether they were
from
major or minor nations or corporate bodies). These mercenaries would
later
form the core of a dedicated security force. As part of the original
payment
they were offered stead-holding rights and IAS citizenship. A fair
proportion of the mercenaries did actually take-up this option and these
were the individuals who became the founders of the security force.

As for 2180 IAS, they do have a small "security force" of their own now,
but
do still hire mercs when they lack the expertise themselves or want to
bolster their numbers with experienced troops. However, the IAS
administration is careful to only hire mercs with a good record of
conduct
as well as a good fighting reputation (this is where a guild would fit
in
well with IAS practices).

Cheers

Beth