Kath, the Mercenaries’ System

Eldrytch Suns Part IV

Kath (Reaver’s Deep, Ea Subsector, Parsec# 1428) B764994-C HiHt _{named Kingston system in The Deep and the Dark} has a long history of being an independent system. It’s location, so close to the center parsec of the entire Sector, and nearly central to the whole region outside the Imperium, Confederation, and Hierate in both Reaver’s Deep and the coreward subsectors of the Dark Nebula Sectors, make it convenient for the population of the “Buffer Region” to travel to the system.

Kath has never been a part of any reaver state that has arisen over the ages. But, it’s technological base and strategic location has made it perfect to hire mercenary armies to travel relatively quickly to most hot spots in the region. At TL 12, the mercenary companies that base themselves out of Kath can field forces that can compete with most opp forces, the backwater nature of Reaver’s Deep discourages the major states and megacorporations from committing first-rate forces to any conflict. Turns out that TL 12 is a match for nearly every potential opp force, if not superior.

The Kath Mercenary Board

The Kath system is governed by an Impersonal Bureaucracy. This is the Kath Mercenary Board, not only does it administer the system, but it also administrates and enforces contracts between mercenary companies and clients. The Kath Mercenary Board maintains a registry of standing among mercenary companies, which dictates rates and compensation. The Board has, over the years, become the authority on mercenary companies operating in the Region. There are other boards, guilds and organizations in the region, but they all base their records and accounts on the data taken from the Kath Mercenary Board.

The Board also standardizes things like ranks, salaries and insurance. The Board also enforces a set of codes and rules of engagement that restrict what a mercenary company can and cannot do in fulfilling a contract. The Board also mediates prisoner exchanges involving mercenaries and holds contract payments in escrow until contracts are fulfilled and serves as an arbitration body when those contracts come into dispute.

The Kath Mercenary Codes

• Weapons of mass destruction, or mass casualties are heavily restricted.
• Deliberate targeting of civilian populations is forbidden.
• Attacks on certain, protected, non-combat targets like habitation domes, industries and facilities critical to survival in a hostile environment and hazardous targets (fission power plants, hydroelectric dams, and the like) is restricted.
• Orbital bombardment of defenseless, civilian targets is prohibited.
• Ships and Armed Forces that are declared neutral to the conflict are not available for attack.
  • Once a force that has declared neutrality in a conflict cannot engage in operations in the combat theater unless they declare themselves no longer a neutral party beforehand
• Genocide of sophont culture, even in the pursuit of a contract objective, is forbidden.

There are, of course others, the mercenary profession stretches back to before interstellar society. The Kath Mercenary Codes are a branch of legal study, that are based on the Imperial Rules of War. In practice, there is a definite grey area on what constitutes an actionable violation of the Codes. The Kath Mercenary Board is widely accepted as an impartial institution when investigating violations or rendering judgements against those violations of the Codes.

Kathite-Design Mercenary Cruiser

• 800 dTon TL 12 Mercenary Cruiser
• Hull: 800 dTons, Sphere, Reinforced
  • 352 Hull Points
• Armor: 3 points Crystaliron, Radiation Shielded
• Reaction Drive: 3G Thrust
  • Fuel Efficient -40% fuel requirement
  • 90 Thrust Points
• Jump Drive: Jump-3
• PowerPlant: Fusion (TL 12)
  • 240 Power Points
• Fuel Capacity
  • Reaction Drive: 3 Hours
  • Jump Drive: 1 Jump-3
  • Power Plant: 4 weeks
  • Total: 277.6 dTons
• Bridge: 20 Tons
  • Holographic Controls
• Computer: Model 20/fib
  • Maneuver
  • Intellect
  • Library
  • Jump Control /3
  • Fire Control /2
• Sensors: Military Grade
  • Jammers
  • Lidar
  • Radar
• Weapons: 8 Triple Turrets (no weapons mounted)
• Docking Space:
  • 2x 50 dTon Small Craft
    • 2x Modular Cutters
  • 2x 30 dTon Small Craft
    • 2x Cutter Modules
  • 4 dTon Vehicle
    • Air/Raft
• Armory: supports 30 Troops and 54 Crew
• Brig: 6 person capacity
• Fuel Processor
  • 60 dTons Refined fuel per standard day
• Fuel Scoops
• 17x Double Occupancy Standard Staterooms (Crew)
• 10x Standard Staterooms (Captain, Administrator, Officers and Astrogator
• Barracks: 30 Troops Capacity
• Cargo Space: 4 dTons
• Cost: MCr 260.93
• Maintenance: Cr 21,744 per standard month

The Kathite Mercenary Cruiser is not much different from the standard Type-M. They are not designed to deliver more than a Platoon of Troops into a theater of war. Most mercenary outfits of company size or smaller employ the Kathite Mercenary Cruiser, one per platoon. In Reaver’s Deep, the TL-12 Hull is built with gravity compensation and inertial dampers, meaning that neither the crew or the troops carried need acceleration seats or benches.

The ship’s two modular cutters and extra modules provide a broad mission flexibility. A huge variety of weapon systems can be mounted into the ship’s 8 triple turrets, though the limited Cargo space restricts the amount of ammunition that the ship can carry for missile racks and sandcasters. The 16 Ton Fusion Power Plant can support a full battery of energy weapons. Which, for mercenary Captains, is a common choice. Ammunition costs money after all, and energy weapons keep shooting as long as the Power Plant holds out.

There are other, larger models of transport that more easily support Battalion or Regiment sized mercenary outfits. But these ships can get large and sacrifice performance to carry larger deployments. These heavier transports are also less combat capable. They are designed to deliver troops to an operational zone and support them from orbit with ortillery.

Law and Order in a Mercenary System

Kath’s Law Level is 4, which is fairly permissive. Openly carrying battlefield weaponry (Automatic weapons, Laser weapons, High Energy weapons, Battle Dress, and obvious armor) is restricted. Although with the right licensing, lighter automatic weapons (submachine guns, ACRs, Cloth Armor) can be worn and carried.

Being a member of an organization that is licensed to participate in the Kath Arms Markets allows for the sale and purchase of battlefield weaponry (including warships, artillery, Battle Dress, support weapons and High Energy Weaponry.) Kath’s arms industry can supply up to TL 12 weapons and armor, but there are dealers that can sometimes import higher tech equipment (at a healthy markup in price).

With a fairly low Law Level, Kath has developed an extensive grey and black market. Arms that would be heavily restricted, if not outright prohibited by the Kath Mercenary Codes can be discovered in these markets. Also, mercenary organizations that are either blackballed by the Mercenary Board, or who never joined in the first place, and thus are less concerned about the Mercenary Codes can be contacted through these markets. Although, while most non-board-licensed mercenary outfits are just too poor, to new or too contrarian to conform to the Board’s requirements, there are those companies that are little more than Brigands or War Criminals.