Contractors' Guild

*"I shall have no other allegiance than to the mission.​*

*I shall not break faith with my employer,​*

*Nor shall I dishonor the Guild which I represent.​*

*Other considerations are meaningless.​*

*The Contract is All.​"*

*- Ceremonial oath of admission, Contractors' Guild*

## Overview

A highly militarized and aggressive nation, the Eternal Empire was bound to attract those who see war as a business venture and make a career out of the pursuit for conflict, or who would serve the Empire, but would prefer to do so outside of the highly rigid confines of its military.

This, coupled with the manpower shortages that the Empire suffers from, in comparison to other governments and organizations across the galaxy, have led the imperial government to pursue partnerships with various mercenaries throughout its history, in order to supplement its regular military and law enforcement units. Mercenaries and bounty hunters have been an integral part of the imperial war machine since its inception.

As the number of mercenaries within the Empire's employment grew to a significant amount, the imperial government made the decision to formally bring all of these talented individuals under the umbrella of a single, regulated organization, simplifying bureaucracy and logistics, as well as facilitating the inclusion of independent contractors into its military and political doctrine.

The Contractors' Guild is, essentially, the Eternal Empire's official, state-run organization for mercenaries and bounty hunters, effectively functioning as a regulatory and unionized body for soldiers of fortune, as well as a centralized marketplace to facilitate and anonymize the process of connecting employers with those who provide mercenary services.

Unlike most institutions in the Empire, which are characterized by their rigid hierarchical structure, the Contractors' Guild is a much slimmer and trimmed down organization which functions more like a stock exchange than a military. Members pay a monthly fee, in exchange gaining access to the Guild's market of contracts and the support of its facilities, from medical services, to equipment providers and legal counselling. With each contract being vetted by the Guild's Quartermasters before publication to the Contract Board , Contractors effectively operate with official state sanction and can thus rest assured that their business will not incur the wrath of the authorities, so long as they do not break imperial law while carrying out their jobs.

Within imperial territory, the Guild is represented by a Quartermaster's Office within each major settlement, with smaller offices being spread out amongst clusters of smaller towns and villages. Led, as the name suggests, by a Quartermaster, each office includes facilities for Guild bureaucracy, a main waiting hall which also contains a Contract Board along with a reception areas where Contractors can take on jobs, a cantina for Guild members to socialize and a requisitions office where the various Guild members may place orders for equipment, which, in a manner unique in the Empire, may be purchased through a leasing agreement, in which a fee is deduced from each contract, until the full amount is paid, Guild regulations stipulating that Contractors must keep completing contracts until all debts are paid in full.

Additionally, the Guild also offers equipment maintenance services at competitive prices to its members, with such facilities being present within each Quartermaster's Office, although the members are not required to utilize this service, should they prefer not to.

The Guild itself falls under the jurisdiction of the Overseer of the Armed Forces, although other than a few bureaucratic personnel jobs and the Quartermasters themselves, there is no formal command structure. The organization simply facilitates mercenary and bounty hunter services and Contractors themselves may operate alone, or in groups with internal hierarchies decided upon by their members.

## Contracts

The contracts offered through the Guild, come in various types, with employers that may or may not choose to remain anonymous. Contracts may range from tech specialist jobs, to medical services, private security, full-fledged military jobs offered by the state and state-sanctioned arrests and assassinations, usually of wanted criminals that have somehow managed to evade capture by agents of the law.

In order to insure that Contractors only take jobs that they are qualified for, Contracts are categorized by levels, with higher ones representing jobs that pay more, but are more difficult and dangerous, although there are some notable exceptions in this categorization system. Contractors must pass qualification requirements in order to gain certification for higher-level contracts. Some specialist contracts may require additional qualifications.

* **Level 1:** Low-level support jobs and services
* **Level 2:** Specialist services requiring a high degree of expertise. Slicers, medical professionals, etc
* **Level 3:** Private security jobs, bodyguards, etc
* **Level 4:** High-level specialist jobs requiring an expert degree of associated skills
* **Level 5:** Apprehension and capture of fugitives and wanted individuals
* **Level 6:** State-sanctioned assassinations and other highly dangerous missions
* **Military Contracts:** Battlefield operations and military actions alongside the Empire's forces. These come in various shapes or forms, ranging from logistics and medical services, to front-line combat and special operations. These may also be classified by levels, depending on the job being offered and the required qualifications
* **Intelligence Contracts:** These are contracts offered by Blackwatch, the state intelligence service and secret police. They usually involve espionage, surveillance and sensitive operations requiring a high degree of finesse and skill and are usually associated with much stricter regulation and non-disclosure agreements, given the nature of these jobs

## Membership

Admission into the Guild is done by paying an entry fee, followed by a monthly contribution which enables the institution to keep running its services. Upon joining, new members undergo a Ceremony of Admission, during which they are sworn in under oath to conduct themselves in accordance with Guild standards of professionalism, also serving to build kinship with fellow Guild members and to foster a sense of belonging to something greater than a mere mercenary outfit.