From Mercenaries in the 32nd Century, Galatea Free Press
With breach of contract being a regrettably common (almost
inevitable) part of the mercenary trade, the need for a Board of Inquiry to
handle such affairs was an obvious necessity. When Wolfs’ Dragoons created the
Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, such a body was created in order to
handle such affairs. As originally created, the MRBC Board consisted of eight
members; a representative from each of the great houses, as well as ones from
the Free Rasalhauge Republic, ComStar and Wolfs’ Dragoons, the latter
representing the mercenary trade while also serving as a chair of the board. Between
the MRBC’s founding and the dawn of the Jihad, this final position was held solely
by Jamie Wolf
An actual commission inquiry panel had four members. Two
were drawn from the great houses, as well as one each from ComStar and Wolf’s
Dragoons. Neither the employing house, nor any other house that may have been
involved in the dispute, could serve as representatives on the panel.
Additionally, the unit under review has the right to veto and replace one of
the panel members if they feel that member may exhibit undue prejudice against
them. The sole exception was the Wolfs’ Dragoons representative, who was to be
present for all hearings in their function as chair.
For example, in McKinnon’s
Marauders vs ComStar, the Marauders were hired by ComStar. The unit was accused
of breaching contract and crimes against humanity (In this case, destroying a
HPG on Brerenson in the Free Worlds League) by ComStar. As such, there were no
ComStar or Free Worlds’ League representatives on the Inquiry Panel.
This system did have its flaws. First, there was no
provision for representation of Periphery States, minor powers or non-governmental
employers. This also included the Word of Blake, even though the latter became
a de facto equivalent to Comstar
after it took control of Terra, and then a power in and of itself after the
formation of the Word of Blake Protectorate. The second was the issue of Jamie
Wolf’s position as a moderator of the board, especially in cases that involved
Wolf’s Dragoons or their allies. In such a case, Jamie Wolf would be asked to
rule on his own unit, a clear and obvious bias.
This became especially problematic after the formation of
the Allied Mercenary Command (AMC), a collection of units under the command of
Wolfs’ Dragoons and dedicated to stopping Word of Blake, Capellan and League expansionism in the Chaos March. In the advent
of any disputes involving the AMC, Jamie Wolf would not only be expected to
rule on units that he in effect controlled, but the Word of Blake had no actual
avenue for representation to the MRBC. Unsurprisingly, any dispute involving
the AMC was ruled in their favour.
The destruction of Outreach (and death of Jamie Wolf) in the
opening days of the Jihad shattered the MRBC. While the commission relocated to
Galatea, much of its administration was gutted, leaving the management of the commission
to a more ad-hoc system with little capacity for review and enforcement. When
the Word of Blake captured Galatea and in effect took control of the MRBC, they
simply instituted their own review system designed to keep the units in their
employ firmly under their control.
It was not until after the end of the Jihad and the formation
of the Republic of the Sphere that the MRBC’s board of inquiry was properly
reestablished. However, the reformed MRBC was no longer controlled by Wolf’s
Dragoons, but now by the Republic of the Sphere, a government that had no love
for the mercenary trade. Devlin Stone saw mercenaries as being counter to
everything he hoped to achieve with his reforms, and had wanted to disband the
entire mercenary trade. However, while such a thing was little more than a pipe
dream, he still did what he could to weaken its strength and influence.
The new MRBC had a smaller board. The chair was now a
representative of the Republic of the Sphere, even if the Republic did not hire
mercenaries itself. With the Free Worlds League having dissolved, its position
on the board was removed for practical reasons, as the alternative would have
been to add a half dozen new members. Likewise, with the Free Rasalhuage
Republic no longer in existence after its merger with the Ghost Bear Dominion,
its seat was also removed. The result
was a definite political swing in the MRBC, going from being decidedly pro-mercenary
to distinctly pro-employer, one that only fuelled the withering of the
Mercneary trade during the golden age of the Republic.
The HPG Blackout and the chaos that ensued would again
change the MRBC, and almost bring about it’s demise
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