Re: [GZG] Interesting mercenary idea

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F.P. Kiesche III
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with Volume 2 of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.) Blogging at
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--- On Wed, 12/10/08, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com>
Subject: [GZG] Interesting mercenary idea
To: gzg-l@vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 4:54 PM

Rick 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.
2182The 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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