Part 543: Mercenary Contract Vote
Sweat dripped down Jason Youngbloods bare arms, his every motion sending small droplets splattering to the locker room floor. He took a long pull from a bottle of a local electrolyte-infused energy drink favored by Galateas mercenary Mechwarriors and stretched limbs tired after hours in the cockpit. In spite of Duncan Kalmas praise, to Jasons eyes the Demon Hawks were still rough around the edges. There was potential there, but most of them had difficulty keeping up with Jason in the field. That, he felt, was going to be a problem. Duncan was one of the worst pilots hed ever worked with, and hed vetted half of their inductees. If most of the Hawks were at Duncans level, Jason would have his work cut out whipping them into shape.It didnt help that he and Duncan were butting heads about pretty much everything anymore. It wasnt just arguments about the units terrible name, Jason had pushed hard for a uniform paintjob to make the unit look more professional. Duncan had scoffed at the, in Jasons eyes minute, costs and then cited units like the 17th Recon who went into battle with individually painted machines. Duncan thought pilots worked best if they were able to operate largely independently while Jason felt that they needed to be able to work in tandem and trust one another. Hed even managed a reasonable compromise: the pilots would be allowed to paint their machines however they wanted as long as they added a blue and gold stripe to their `Mechs left torso, right arm, and right leg. Their hirelings would be allowed the freedom to paint their machines how they wishes, while still obviously being members of the same company. Duncan had accepted that, albeit reluctantly. The Demon Hawks couldnt exist without the pairs pooled funds, but some days Jason couldnt help but feel that Duncan brought more headaches than his investment was worth.
It wasnt all bad with Duncan, sour as Jason had gotten with him of late. The man was no genius but he was a reasonably proficient strategist with fairly reliable tactical sense in the field. Off the field was where Duncan usually shined: hed proven himself to be a capable scrounger and as a graduate from the Allison MechWarrior Institute he hador at least was good at fakingan air of credibility. He could talk the military talk and walk the military walk in a way that seemed to put negotiators at ease. He was also, Jason found, incredibly cheap. Duncan wasnt a miser, exactly, but he liked both comfort and saving money and as long as he didnt cheap out on ammunition Jason was perfectly content to let the man beg, barter, lie, or otherwise connive his way into cheap accommodations or first-time buyer discounts. How hed managed to buy an Atlas with only six and a half million C-Bills Jason would probably never know.
It was with only minor trepidation that Jason had left the contract search in Duncans hands while he worked to drill the rest of the company into something resembling a cohesive unit. Jason had to fight his instinctive urge to take a hands-on approach to every aspect of the unit, while Duncan preferred to keep his hands-off anything that didnt directly involve their bottom line. Mistake as it may have been in a game of poker, Jason did trust Duncan to find them the best contract possible. The man was tenacious, hed fight for every concession he could.
As if summoned by Jasons thoughts, the young Kalma entered the locker room with the typical, disaffected slouch he wore whenever he wasnt actively trying to impress someone. He cradled a noteputer in the crux of his arm, and wordlessly set the machine atop Jasons neurohelmet before sitting down on the wooden bench beside it.
Youve found something, then? Jason inquired slowly. Hed promised to keep his nose out of the contract negotiations unless Duncan requested his counsel, but even if they only had a single job offer he knew Duncan would consult with him before taking it.
Weve gotten four offers since we posted the unit to the MRB database last night, Duncan sounded a touch bewildered. It was unusual for a new unit to receive any direct offers, their capability would be in question until theyd fulfilled at least one contract and proven themselves reliable. Galatea wasnt hard-up for company-sized units either, which meant either someone was making offers to every mercenary company that had a pulse or someone had been watching them.
Jason rubbed his eyes. How many of them are traps?
About half? Duncan admitted, tapping the noteputers return key to pull up the first offer. Or, if not traps, at least not entirely honest. This ones from the New Star League, for example, but my gut says its actually a ComStar operation. Recon into Capellan space. Very unusual, given the interdiction. Pays about on-par for a new unit like ours, and its three months so itd be a decent shakedown exercise. Salvage rights are nothing to write home about but theyre willing to go fifty-fifty with us if we lose any equipment in combat, which is pretty generous. Commands completely independent too, which means we wont have to worry about a liaison breathing down our necks, but it also means the Star League can disavow knowledge of us if things go wrong. Im not sure I like that.
Jason said nothing, letting Duncan continue. The man tapped the return key again, bringing up the next contract. The next ones weird as all get-out. Duchy of New Syrtis is calling for an extraction raid on, get this, Arc-Royal
The hell does the Duchy want in Steel Viper territory? Jason asked incredulously. His brow furrowed as he considered the implications. Extraction raid. They want a repeat of the job we did for the Bounty Hunter. Pop in, steal some Clan `Mechs, and get out before we get caught.
Probably, Duncan didnt sound entirely convinced, but Jason let it slide. The man was always suspicious. Pays about seven million, which is twice what a new unit our size can probably hope for on a three-month contract, but its still less than wed get selling a single captured Clan `Mech on the open market, and theyre being stingy on the incidentals like transportation costs. Salvage rights arent the worst Ive seen. The next ones pure bullshit though.
Take a look, Duncan tapped the button yet again, bringing up the third contractand drawing a whistle from Jason. Duchy of Andurien wants to pay thirteen million to put us on retainer for two years. This one just feels really off to me. I know you dont pay much attention to whats happening in the Free Worlds LeagueI know I try to pay as little attention to the League as I canbut the Duchy has basically been a Rim World puppet kingdom for the past two hundred years. Hell, Andurien V was down to about ten million people as of the last official census, so Im not sure they even have a real Body Politic anymore!
So that begs a couple of questions Jason began.
Raises a couple of questions, Duncan interrupted. Begging the question is a logical fallacy. But to continue your thought: if the Duchy isnt even a real entity anymore, why is the Rim World Republic trying to hide the fact that theyre hiring mercenaries? At least being on retainer means theyre not going to use us aggressively, but it means we could get stuck doing anything from mopping floors for two years to spy hunting to riot duty. And get this, Duncan tapped the screen, drawing Jasons attention to the support clause. One-hundred percent battle-loss compensation. Theyre not offering straight support for maintenance but theyll replace anything we lose in battle. Which is either incredibly generous if theyre expecting combat, or incredibly stingy if theyre planning on putting us on garrison duty to scare off pirates for two years. Theyre also not offering salvage rights but they are offering a bounty for combat kills. I have no idea what to make of this one.
Oh, hell, Jason breathed. No salvage rights means they want whatever we kill, but a bounty means they want to actively reward us for taking down hostile targets. Its a defensive contract but theyre well within their rights to shuffle us to any world in the Duchy without further negotiations. Amaris is looking for units to help him fight the Clans.
Damnation, Duncan squeezed his eyes closed. I think youre right. Think theyre sending this out to every company-sized unit on Galatea?
And Heroditus, Solaris VII, Westerhand, Fletcher, Astrokaszy, Jason rattled off. If theyre expecting heavy combat its a good deal. Theyre agreeing to replace any `Mechs we lose no questions asked, but
But if it turns into a meat grinder, Duncan finished, they wont have to pay bounties or battle-loss if they get us all killed. At least its MRB certified, so the base pays already funded and waiting in a ComStar account. Thirteen million for our next of kin to fight over.
Last ones from House Sandoval. Pays a little low for six months, but theyre offering full salvage rights. No battle loss compensation and theyre not paying much of our maintenance fees, and its a planetary assault so its bound to be risky. We could win big with this one, Duncan mused.
Success with minimal losses means weve made a name for ourselves in the Draconis Suns, and Hanse Davions always looking for reliable mercenaries to shore up the AFFS. We could also lose big if we get blown out of the sky or if Duke Sandoval decides to throw us into a fight we cant win to buy his own troops time. I think this contracts being more honest than the others, but its risky all the same. Theyve all got really similar timetables but I think I can use the other offers weve received to win us some concessions on whichever contract we decide to pursue. So, Duncan paused momentarily, what do you think?
A) Employer: The New Star League
Contact: Precentor Blane
Mission: Reconnaissance
Payment: 3.5 million c-bills
Length: 3 months
Command: Independent
Overhead Compensation: Generous
Transportation: full reimbursement
Salvage: 50% Shared
Support: 50% battle-loss compensation
B) Employer: Duchy of New Syrtis
Contact: Colonel Beck
Mission: Extraction Raid
Payment: 7 million c-bills
Length: 3 months
Command: Liaison
Overhead Compensation: Light
Transportation: 60% reimbursement
Salvage: 100% Equal Exchange
Support: 75% straight support, 25% battle-loss compensation
C) Employer: Duchy of Andurien
Contact: Mr. Johnson
Mission: Retainer
Payment: 13 million c-bills plus bounty
Length: 2 years
Command: House
Overhead Compensation: Generous
Transportation: full reimbursement
Salvage: None
Support: 100% battle-loss compensation
D) Employer: House Sandoval
Contact: Colonel Williams
Mission: Planetary Assault
Payment: 5 million c-bills
Length: 6+ months
Command: House
Overhead Compensation: Generous
Transportation: employer-provided
Salvage: Full
Support: 50% straight support
Vote:
So, this votes a little different than the typical political / combat theater vote. What Im looking for this time is:
1) Which contract to pursue
1A) Star League Recon
1B) New Syrtis Extraction
1C) Andurien Retainer
1D) House Sandoval Planetary Assault
1E) Seek other contracts
2) Two demands to negotiate for
2A) Pay
2B) Command Rights
2C) Overhead Compensation
2D) Transportation Costs
2E) Salvage Rights
2F) Support
2G) None
3) One concession to make, if necessary
3A) Pay
3B) Command Rights
3C) Overhead Compensation
3D) Transportation Costs
3E) Salvage Rights
3F) Support
3G) None
4) What to do if negotiations fall through
4A) Take the original offer
4B) Negotiate a different contract
4C) Seek other offers
These votes are all independent but if you wind up negotiating for something the employer is already offering the best possible deal for (or are trying to concede somewhere that your employer is offering you the worst option for), a runner-up demand and/or concession will be used instead so your votes for option 2 and 3 can never be wasted.
Remember: some concessions are more persuasive than others!