The Contractor's Honor Code

**The Contractor's Honor Code**, also known colloquially as **The Mercenary Honor Code, The Mercenary Code**, and **The New Ten Commandments** (the latter often in a comedic sense), is a set of rules and regulations proposed by mercenary Lawrence 'Larry Killjoy' Margarito shortly following the Third World War that was widely adopted by mercenary contractors and their employers in the decades following its introduction.

The Code was written as a result of Margarito's observations that many contracts between Mercenaries and their employers were simply ineffective, and oftentimes resulted in infighting that drew no profit for the employer and left the mercenary dead as a result. It is believed that Margarito was directly inspired to write the Code as a result of the Toledo Incident, in which dozens of mercenaries were killed during infighting after a scuffle revolving around wages.

## History

The increase in need for Mercenaries aligns with the increase in power of warbands and gangs that began roughly in the first decade of the 22nd Century. As these groups began to expand in power and authority over various regions, they found themselves being stretched thin, and became far less willing to give up loyal soldiers to the meat grinder of combat with other groups or in various settlement raids. In this need for additional, expendable soldiers, the trade of mercenary was reborn.

It was in this new occupation that Lawrence 'Larry Killjoy' Margarito stood out. Little is known about his early life, though his tenure as a mercenary is oftentimes documented and retold by word of mouth even to the modern age. He operated in the Northeastern portion of the country, preferring the area around what was once Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, though he is known to have operated as far north as Quebec and as far south as Virginia. He is considered the 'Father of Modern Contracting' by many in the business, in part due to his authoring of the Contractor's Honor Code.

Margarito was killed in combat outside of the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in late 2114, though his Code lived on, and began to catch as employers sought to bid for the best mercenaries their money could offer. Many of these mercenaries would refuse to work for employers who did not have the Code in as part of their contract, and as such, many of these employers were forced to adopt it. Today, application of the Mercenary Honor Code is widespread, with a majority of Employers in what used to be the United States and Canada automatically including it as part of their contract with Mercenaries. However, its adoption has not been universal, most notably south of the border, in Mexico, where generally worsened living conditions have led to the Mercenary population there being far more willing to work with less regulation and restriction.

## The Contractor's Honor Code

1. No Contractor shall, while under employment of a group or individual, commit any sort of violence against said group or individual, unless the Employer fails to pay the set amount that was agreed upon by both parties when the contract was signed, or unless the Employer commits an act of violence against the Contractor first. A Contractor shall not commit any sort of violence against their Employer for at least a ten day period following the end of their contract.
2. No Employer shall, while employing one or multiple Contractors, commit any sort of violence against said Contractor(s), unless the Contractor commits an act of violence against the Employer first. The failure of a Contractor to complete his or her job is not grounds to commit violence against said Contractor. An Employer shall not commit any sort of violence against their Contractor for at least a ten day period following the end of their contract.
3. A Contractor shall, in no circumstance, violate the terms of a contract that they have established with an Employer or another Contractor. If the terms of a contract are violated, all rights and protections guaranteed by this Code are automatically forfeit.
4. An Employer shall, in no circumstance, violate the terms of any contract that they have established with a Contractor. If the terms of a contract are violated, all rights and protections guaranteed by this Code are automatically forfeit.
5. No Contractor is to pillage or loot any sort of profit from any sort of enemy or settlement unless it is a necessity for survival or if the looting and pillaging is specifically ordered and authorized by an employer.
6. No Contractor shall, while under employment of a group or individual, commit any sort of violence against another Contractor under the employment of the same group of individual, even if ordered to do so by the Employer. Violence against other individuals that is not ordained by the Employer is to be discouraged, though not banned outright. If violence is committed against another individual without the ordainment and/or authorization of the Employer, then the contract can be nullified and voided by the Employer.
7. A Contractor, while under employment of a group or individual, has an automatic duty to protect the life or lives of the Employing individual or group, until the contract is up or is nullified or voided by the Employer.
8. A Contractor may, at any time, declare a contract between an Employer and Contractor null and void, though this automatically means that the Contractor forfeits any profits that were promised to him or her by an Employer. If an Employer paid upfront, and the job is not completed, than the Contractor has an automatic duty to return any sort of profit that was given to him or her by the Employer.
9. If a Contractor is killed in action, the Employer is under no obligation to pay relatives, friends, or any other group that comes to collect the payment that was promised the deceased Contractor, however, an Employer may choose to do so if he/she/it deems it necessary.
10. If a Contractor is killed in action, the Employer, nor any other Contractors under contract with the same Employer, has any right to seize the property of the Contractor who was killed. If relatives or friends come, and can prove that they are related to the Contractor who was killed, then they may retrieve the belongings and property of the deceased Contractor.