Mercenaries
Since organized warfare began, soldiers of fortune have marched alongside troop owing fealty to one lord or another, buttressing kings or toppling empires.
In the 3150s, the Great Houses – now exhausted after generations of war – still turn to mercenary outfits to further their Machiavellian political agendas and bolster their standing militaries.
Some mercenaries, such as the Northwind Highlanders and Eridani Light Horse, have histories dating back centuries, to the Star League era and before. Others are recent, improbable stories, like the newly reborn Gray Death Legion under Ronan Carlyle. Many, many more mercenary units live, fight, and die with their names barley known to their employer.
Mercenary contracts can require anything from garrisoning on a backwater world, to protecting a rare bit of lostech during transports, to combat-dropping into the teeth of the enemy during a border invation.
Regardless of the background or the Great House they contractually fight for, mercenary commanders often have to scrounge the battlefield for spare parts to keep their force in fighting shape, and brokering contracts through Clan Sea Fox is almost as treacherous as the battles their unit will fight. Bad deals or poor performance can leave mercs trapped on a distant planet without JumpShip transport, reinforcement, or even supplies.
Despite all of these hardships, a mercenary commander knows that business is booming, and money and glory await the leader brave enough to seize it…and smart enough to survive it.