# Wetwork, Mercenaries

In the ever-extending reaches of the spur, particularly the vast centers of population, life can be seen as expendable.

self-notes:
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- Vatgrown bodies allowing corpos / nations to have cheap labor and troops -> only banned in OriCon. Every (except NT?) corpo might / would have some -> tech has been around for 3+ centuries, is still around.
- IPCs are assembled as debtslaves on conveyor belts galaxy-wide -> another source of cheap troops -> *legal* in OriCon and normalized everywhere
- Consequently rogue nations, colonies and warmongers could be peddling, acquiring and developing this tech either tech as means to simulate / propagate conflicts, particularly on any local level
- Life / Labor would also definitely not be seen as valuable on these low levels -> you can make more
- Severely doubtful any corp (except NT? Half of VeyMed?) would take a moral stance against it in earnest -> they need the labor too, and IPC farms are legal anyway
- Factions that grow / foster soldiers being real? Making them parts of existing corps (Fivestar? Blackstar? Distinct security / merc corps seem disconnected from this -> make them only associates with such?)

### writing goals:

- **A wetwork / assassin guild?**
- Religious / pragmatic -> split it into two? "Old / New"
- Some coincidence relating to blood / religion -> great awakening
- Forms a genuine religion (with real effects) -> justifies rituals / sacrifices / whatever other edgy RP
- Awakening faded, reformed into 'New' group, 'Old' ways remained -> after all, they had literal magic evidence of it working
- Why employ them? Recognised immunity in most of the galaxy? Frontier, far-reaches, generally unsecure sectors having most use?
- - Why immunity? -> catch-all plausible deniability? Local conflict resolutions? -> also expensive as fuck probably
- Describe every corpo's interaction with them? NT would have none officially, acknowledge it as valid work history?
- Most factional bases either in frontier or Moghes -> Moghes would be entirely neutral to them and a good source of recruits
- 'Blood purity' means no clankers, or vatties for 'Old' branch -> is there anyone in lore that'd care about these exclusions?
### **Elaborate on how corpos populate and police their land?**
- **Five Star Sec** --
- - actually internally stable and secure, at least within the "five solar systems" that are core to the faction? -> alternatively hardcore 'we don't sow' worlds?
- - most of their rep comes from extorting / raiding trade routes? -> motivated by lack of said IPC / Vattie groups -> consequently natural enemy of shipping and escort corps -> good buddies with the ass. guild
- - natural enemies of blackstar?
- - multi-cultural / accepting of various species -> even Vox -> openly harboring Vox rogues -> better or worse Vox relations? Mutual turf agreement? -> helps both parties raid better
- - particularly loyal to themselves -> little corruption -> mutual understanding they're more or less galactic outcasts, uneconomical to be selfish?
- **Blackstar**
- - Going by their history they would likely either
- - - have one core system in some shaded area / a rogue planet? (black 'star')
- - - be entirely localised to colony-esque ships (or both)
- - Core world a glorified military base city? -> half in the ground or a mountain to serve as shielding -> maybe has a comically large moat?
- - Given obsession with funds / payment -> extremely poor / lacking in any natural resources? -> somewhat expected from a single-world faction
- - Most of their troops are spread far, wide and thin -> taking on varying assignments all over -> a lot of trade escort contracts because of FSS lowkey piracy? -> natural justification for adversarial relations
- - Each 'gigaship' class.. ship equipped with its own IPC / Vattie supply? -> one central equivalent on their core world?
- - they can poop out low quality troops without impediment, helps in reach?
- - payment ethos + lack of genuine loyalty = corruption or common embezzlement? -> grown / assembled troops being brainwashed?

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