Mercs...

[Ayem]

I think, in a time of war, Mercs would have the opportunity of getting their hands on more, and higher end military hardware. The disadvantage in the current real world for mercenaries is NATO, it sets the bar for "good" military intervention. All that is not NATO is "unsanctioned" and subject to breaches of international law, so mercenaries in the real world tend to work either for those who cannot be characterised as "good", or by those who are outside the remit of organisations like NATO.

This, historically, is not true of mercenaries. Warring nations would bolster their armies with short term, high cost troops (mercenaries) whether they were good or evil, because that is what it took to win. There is no NATO in Sirius, therefore mercenaries can be free of some of that stigma. Nations could freely hire mercenary groups (or individuals) to reinforce blockades, assist in fleet battles and run skirmish campaigns.

In Iraq at the moment, and over the past years, there has been a boom in acceptable mercenary activity under the name of Security. If mercenaries in Sirius seem like aimless, ragtag drunks with behaviour issues then it's because they're out of work! Try hiring a few, Rheinland! Keep those Mjolnirs in your space, rather than leaving them to hang out for drinks and a snort of Cardi at Malta.

Note: By hire I do not mean give them billions of credits, I mean organise an RP arrangement where payment is assumed (or in fact given, if that's the way you want to do it). It's not like you official factions have a weekly payday, or that your money comes from taxing civilians. Mercs aren't bounty hunters, they operate in a different way.

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