[GZG] Interesting mercenary idea

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k Shelley wrote a series of books about the Dirigent Mercenary Company
(DMC). Dirigent's main export is mercenaries and the colony world is run
by
a council of senior unit commanders.

Similarly, the older Joel Rosenberg book Not For Glory deals with a
mercenary organization of Jewish or Israeli (pretty much my prototype
for
the NI) origins. They have a poor world and export mercenaries to help
purchase critical supplies for their people.

Falkenberg's Legion and The Mercenary by Jerry Pournelle (Hi Phil!) are
also
seminal novels in this sort of genre.

http://www.stargrunt.ca/settings_hist/gzg_timeline/gzg_timeline.htm

I also draw your attention to the above link and mentions of mercenaries
in
the canon timeline:

------------

*2128* LLAR mercenary forces (the San Deseado Interface Brigade), hired
by
the Indonesian Commonwealth to protect their installations on the
disputed
Caroline Islands, clash with New Anglian forces against the will of
their
employers. In a desperate attempt to conciliate with the Anglians, who
are
threatening retribution, the Indonesians execute the entire LLAR
Brigade.
Understandably furious at this, the LLAR strikes at the Indonesian
settlement on Easter, marking the start of what becomes known as the
"Mercenary War" (as both sides employ large numbers of mercenary and
foreign
volunteer contingents to complement their own limited forces). The next
four
years see a very scrappy and inconclusive war fought out, the only real
winners being the bank balances of the various mercenary units.

*2129* Dutch mercenaries of the Van Koost Armoured Legion, working for
the
Indonesians, recapture the Commonwealth's settlement of Easter,
defeating
LLAR regular forces and a Turkish mercenary unit in the process. A Swiss
strike force employed by the LLAR in turn raids a major Indonesian
logistics
centre in Manila on Earth, but is repelled by the local forces and
Japanese
mercenary troops; the Swiss make use of nerve agents to cover their
withdrawal, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese and bringing severe
protests in the UN assembly.

*2130* Shi'ite fundamentalists declare independence from the Islamic
Federation on their Outworld settlements of Abu Haman and Sad Al Bari.
Saudi
attempts to regain control of these colonies fail as troops of the 2nd
Islamic Legion sent to suppress the rebellion switch sides after
landfall
and join the fundamentalists under the banner of Mullah Saeed ibn Aamir.
The
two colonies declare the formation of the Saeed Khalifate and, in an
effort
to raise much needed hard currency soon begin to utilise their armed
forces
as mercenary units for hire. Over the next few years, the Khalifate's
mercenaries are to earn themselves the reputation of being among the
toughest units in Human space.
*2131* Israeli and Islamic mercenaries clash with each on Easter despite
both having been hired by the Indonesians; both forces' contracts are
promptly revoked, and several Commonwealth Defence Ministry staff
responsible for the hirings are severely punished for their lack of
foresight.

*2132* The Mercenary War is finally brought to an end with the signing
of
the Mercenary Charter on the Dutch-settled world of Freisland. The
Charter,
as well as finalising the LLAR/Commonwealth dispute with heavy
reparations
being paid by the Indonesians over the San Deseado Brigade incident,
lays
out a code to which all mercenary units and their employers are expected
to
adhere. All signatories to the Charter, which include most nations and
blocs
that either supply or employ foreign mercenary troops, agree not to hire
any
unit that does not comply with the terms of the code.

*2142* The Accord of Freisland brings the First Solar War to an end,
with
the Anglians hailing it as a major victory while the ESU licks its
wounds
and considers its next move. Human space enjoys an all-too-brief period
of
relative peace.
*2165* The Third Solar War is heralded by a massive operation by the NAC
to
regain the worlds left under Eurasian control following the Treaty of
Khorramshahr. Early successes falter as the FSE once again allies with
the
ESU, providing men and material as well as funding to hire mercenary
contingents from the LLAR and the Indonesian Commonwealth.

*2166* The Third Solar War escalates further as the NSL attacks the
bordering FSE frontier. Mercenary forces from New Israel are hired by
the
NAC. The Romanov Hegemony attacks the ESU and refuses safe passage for
Indonesian or LLAR mercenary units through its space.

*2170* Scandinavian mercenaries employed by the NAC overrun Compville
and
install the separatists in government; Compville joins the New French
Republic, which is still denied any kind of diplomatic recognition by
the UN
due to FSE pressure.

*2177* A sudden ESU fleet attack on the Anglian Nagisa system signals
the
start of the next "hot phase" of the Third Solar War; the Nagisa colony
falls quickly, following a warning orbital bombardment from ESU
warships.
Meanwhile, NSL regulars and Swiss mercenary units strike at FSE
settlements
on the inner colony of Flensberg.

*2181* On Kayleigh, NSL and NAC armoured forces are defeated by LLAR
mercenary units; General Heinrich Vortsheimer, leading the Allied
troops, is
relieved of his command following this ignominious reverse.

*2182*The ESU lands Khalifate mercenaries on Tsitsihar to reinforce
their
offensive against Romanov units in the colony.

*2183* Indonesian mercenary units working for the ESU capture NSL
possessions on Salzburg. With the aid of the Khalifate troops the ESU
finally takes Tsitsihar from the Romanovs.
-----------

Note the end to the Mercenary War. Note the importance of Friesland
(might
as well have been called Drake!). Note the Mercenary Charter.

Now, there will have to be someone who enforces the Charter. Is that a
multi-national body? In times of Solar Wars, probably that would not
fly. So
it does augur for a Bonding Authority (a term I borrow from the
Traveller
RPG) who insure mercenary units are reliable in service delivery (or
they
don't get any 'bonding' and no one reputable will hire them). This
authority
would also ensure they kept to the terms of the charter, for the sake of
its
own integrity. Units violating the Charter would be struck from the
Bonding
Authority's lists. The Bonding Authority might be considered a Trust.
That
Bonding Authority is likely to be more like a giant insurance
company/banker
with a dash of investigator/enforcer thrown in. It might be a
UN-sanctioned
or even run agency (or not). I can see the UN exerting influence on it
to
keep Mercenaries from being allowed to operate in the Core or on the
Homeworld.

Friesland seems the logical home for it, since it is the place the
charter
is signed and later that is a neutral ground where the Accord of
Friesland
(unrelated) can be signed.

In my GZGverse, it is the Mercenary Bonding Authority (MBA) that
enforces
the Mercenary Charter. I see mercenaries as being based everywhere from
small colony worlds (outer) of the various factions to independent rim
colony worlds unaligned with any faction. Some (that are in favour with
governments) may be based in the Inner Colonies or even in the Core,
although probably very few and those very reputable, top-end, and
executing
operations mostly outside of the Core (PMCs may handle VIP protection
and so
on within the Core or on Earth).

TomB

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http://www.stargrunt.ca

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