Editing Company Store

The '''company store''' is a gambit by the employer of a [[mercenary unit]] to financially undermine the unit, strip it of its autonomy, and force it into permanent service with that employer.

==Methodology==
Mercenary contracts typically involve the employer providing at least some support services and supplies to the mercenary unit, which pays for them out of the unit's purse (which is naturally served by the regular income from their employer's payment for the mercenaries' services).  In a 'company store' scenario, the employer typically offers the mercenaries direct access to their own military's quartermaster service on a cash-and-carry basis, with an increase in their pay to offset the price of supplies and services; however, the price of the supplies and services is also increased, whether openly or surreptitiously, to the point where the unit's income does not cover the debts it is incurring with the employer.  This forces the unit to undertake supplementary contracts, typically high-risk/high-reward raiding missions, in order to cover its debts; this brings with it heavy combat that requires more supplies (mainly replacing expended munitions and repairing damage), thus incurring even more debt.  This vicious cycle continues until the debt becomes too great for the unit to bear, either financially or morally, at which point the mercenaries often find themselves compelled to renegotiate their contract to pay off the debt, usually on terms so biased towards the employer that the mercenary unit is either permanently bound to that employer alone, or in the most egregious cases outright absorbed into the employer's regular armed forces.

Generally speaking, once a mercenary unit is well-ensnared in the 'company store' cycle - especially if it endures one or more disastrous battle(s) - the only alternative to absorption by the employer's military is to break contract and try to flee to another employer.

==Notable Cases==
One famous example of "company store treatment" is the [[Paul Bunyan Regiment]] once employed by [[House Kurita]], which accepted increased pay in exchange for access to [[DCMS]] procurement channels, but was systematically undermined by price-hikes and the need to supplement their income with secondary raiding contracts (which consumed more supplies and increased their debts).  In [[2825]], the situation came to a head. While the Paul Bunyan Regiment was stationed on [[Zlatous]], the DCMS outright stopped their pay, citing a need to cover their debts.  In response, the regiment seized several warehouses to obtain food and other necessities.  Declaring them a rogue unit, the DCMS destroyed the Paul Bunyans' [[DropShip]]s and set the [[5th Galedon Regulars|5th]] and [[9th Galedon Regulars]] on the "renegades", sparking two months of fighting that saw much of the planet laid waste and the majority of the Paul Bunyan Regiment destroyed. Only a handful of mercenaries escaped in a captured DCMS DropShip, fleeing into the [[Periphery]].

At one point in their employment by House Kurita, [[Wolf's Dragoons]] suspected that [[Warlord]] [[Grieg Samsonov]] was attempting to use the "company store" gambit as part of a campaign to seize direct control of the Dragoons. 

The [[Northwind Highlanders]] nearly fell victim to a "company store" attempt by [[House Davion]] in 3057. Adamant defense of their independence and the political instability caused by [[Operation Guerrero]] led to armed conflict that ultimately made [[Northwind]] a free state.   


* ''[[House Kurita Sourcebook]]'', p.62
* ''[[Wolves on the Border]]''

[[Category:Mercenaries]]
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-The '''Company Store''' ploy is a long-term gambit by the employer of a [[mercenary unit]] (or individual mercenary) to financially bankrupt the unit in question. The intended goal is to force the mercenaries into either selling most, often all, of their equipment (especially [['Mech]]s) to the employer to pay off their accumulated debts, or to enter the employer's service permanently. Several states maintain military units that used to be independent mercenary commands who were taken over in this way.<ref name=HKTDC-63>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 62: "History - Second Succession War - Snakes and Sneaks"</ref><ref name=HHK-45>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 45: "History of the Nation - The Second Succession War - Mercenaries and the Dragon"</ref>
+The '''company store''' is a gambit by the employer of a [[mercenary unit]] to financially undermine the unit, strip it of its autonomy, and force it into permanent service with that employer.
-Historically, the [[Draconis Combine]]<ref name=HKTDC-63/><ref name=HHK-45/> and the [[Federated Suns]] are known to implement company store policies more than other [[Successor State]]s, but all powers use the company store concept to some extent.
-The [[ComStar]]-operated [[Mercenary Review Board]] forbade company store treatment of mercenaries, but by its very nature it is hard to prove.<ref name=CMM-36>''Combat Manual: Mercenaries'', p. 36: "The Company Store"</ref>
 ==Methodology==
-Almost all mercenary units require support from the employer in the form of space transportation, repairs and often even simple maintenance as well as basic supplies such as ammunition, spare parts, fuel, food and other consumables. These services are paid for by the mercenary outfit and under normal circumstances the regular pay is more than enough to cover the bills. A side effect is that the support and the supplies have to follow regular channels. This means that requests are handled by the bureaucracy and provided through regular supply lines.<ref name=MH-12>''Mercenary's Handbook'', p. 12: "The Business of War - Consumables"</ref>
+Mercenary contracts typically involve the employer providing at least some support services and supplies to the mercenary unit, which pays for them out of the unit's purse (which is naturally served by the regular income from their employer's payment for the mercenaries' services).  In a 'company store' scenario, the employer typically offers the mercenaries direct access to their own military's quartermaster service on a cash-and-carry basis, with an increase in their pay to offset the price of supplies and services; however, the price of the supplies and services is also increased, whether openly or surreptitiously, to the point where the unit's income does not cover the debts it is incurring with the employer.  This forces the unit to undertake supplementary contracts, typically high-risk/high-reward raiding missions, in order to cover its debts; this brings with it heavy combat that requires more supplies (mainly replacing expended munitions and repairing damage), thus incurring even more debt.  This vicious cycle continues until the debt becomes too great for the unit to bear, either financially or morally, at which point the mercenaries often find themselves compelled to renegotiate their contract to pay off the debt, usually on terms so biased towards the employer that the mercenary unit is either permanently bound to that employer alone, or in the most egregious cases outright absorbed into the employer's regular armed forces.
-In a company store scenario, the employer typically offers the mercenaries direct access to the military's quartermaster service on a cash-and-carry basis, the employer often making this more appealing by offering either discounted rates or an increase in pay to offset any price difference on purchases of House supplies and services, or in more blatant attempts offers of deferred payment. The catch is that the price of the supplies and services is also increased, whether openly or surreptitiously, to the point where the unit's regular income is too small to cover the cost. This forces the unit to undertake supplementary contracts in order to cover its debts. Such missions typically consist of dangerous raids, which often encounter fierce opposition, resulting in heavy combat damage which requires more costly supplies (mainly replacing expended munitions and repairing damage) and repairs, thus incurring even more debt. This vicious cycle continues until the debt becomes overwhelming, at which point the mercenaries are forced to renegotiate their contract to pay off their debts. The new contracts are heavily biased towards the employer; more often than not the mercenary unit is either permanently bound to that employer alone, or in the most egregious cases outright absorbed into the employer's regular armed forces. Some mercenaries are sometimes simply stripped of their equipment and left destitute.<ref name=HKTDC-63/><ref name=HHK-45/><ref name=MH-12/><ref name=MH-28>''Mercenary's Handbook'', p. 28: "Mercenary Concerns - The Company Store"</ref>
+Generally speaking, once a mercenary unit is well-ensnared in the 'company store' cycle - especially if it endures one or more disastrous battle(s) - the only alternative to absorption by the employer's military is to break contract and try to flee to another employer.
-The tactic of the company store is most successful when applied to smaller and underfunded mercenary commands. Larger or more successful commands are known to sell off elements of their TO&E, such as [[DropShip]]s and [[JumpShip]]s, to avoid or pay off such debts and stave off being absorbed. The only other alternative is to break contract and to flee the inevitable punishment, either suffering the consequences with the Mercenary Review Board or deserting and becoming pirates. For this reason even employers desperate to force mercenaries into permanent service favor subtlety rather than blatant gouging, ever mindful that there is fine line between permanently ensnaring a command and driving them into the arms of their enemies.<ref name=CMM-36/><ref name=MH-28/>
+==Notable Cases==
+One famous example of "company store treatment" is the [[Paul Bunyan Regiment]] once employed by [[House Kurita]], which accepted increased pay in exchange for access to [[DCMS]] procurement channels, but was systematically undermined by price-hikes and the need to supplement their income with secondary raiding contracts (which consumed more supplies and increased their debts).  In [[2825]], the situation came to a head. While the Paul Bunyan Regiment was stationed on [[Zlatous]], the DCMS outright stopped their pay, citing a need to cover their debts.  In response, the regiment seized several warehouses to obtain food and other necessities.  Declaring them a rogue unit, the DCMS destroyed the Paul Bunyans' [[DropShip]]s and set the [[5th Galedon Regulars|5th]] and [[9th Galedon Regulars]] on the "renegades", sparking two months of fighting that saw much of the planet laid waste and the majority of the Paul Bunyan Regiment destroyed. Only a handful of mercenaries escaped in a captured DCMS DropShip, fleeing into the [[Periphery]].
-==Notable cases==
+At one point in their employment by House Kurita, [[Wolf's Dragoons]] suspected that [[Warlord]] [[Grieg Samsonov]] was attempting to use the "company store" gambit as part of a campaign to seize direct control of the Dragoons.
-*One famous example of "company store treatment" is the [[Paul Bunyan Regiment]] once employed by House Kurita, which was one of a number of units who accepted increased pay in exchange for access to [[DCMS]] procurement channels in [[2822]], but was systematically undermined by price-hikes and the need to supplement their income with secondary raiding contracts (which consumed more supplies and increased their debts). In [[2825]], the situation came to a head. While the Paul Bunyan Regiment was stationed on [[Zlatous]], the DCMS outright stopped their pay, citing a need to cover their debts. In response, the regiment mutinied, seizing several warehouses to obtain food and other necessities.  Declaring them a rogue unit, the DCMS destroyed the regiment's [[DropShip]]s and deployed the [[5th Galedon Regulars|Fifth]] and [[9th Galedon Regulars|Ninth Galedon Regulars]]. After two months of fierce fighting the majority of the Paul Bunyan Regiment was destroyed. A handful of survivors managed to escape in a captured DCMS DropShip, fleeing into the [[Periphery]]. The DCMS learned from this response to make their future "company store" efforts more subtle, taking longer to bear fruit but also making it harder for units to realize what was happening.<ref name=HKTDC-63/><ref name=HHK-45/>
-*At one point in their employment by House Kurita, [[Wolf's Dragoons]] suspected that [[Warlord]] [[Grieg Samsonov]] was attempting to use the company store gambit as part of a campaign to seize direct control of the Dragoons.
-*The [[Northwind Highlanders]] nearly became victims to a company store attempt by the Federated Suns in [[3057]]. Adamant defense of their independence and the political instability caused by [[Operation Guerrero]] led to armed conflict that ultimately made [[Northwind]] a free state.
-==References==
+The [[Northwind Highlanders]] nearly fell victim to a "company store" attempt by [[House Davion]] in 3057. Adamant defense of their independence and the political instability caused by [[Operation Guerrero]] led to armed conflict that ultimately made [[Northwind]] a free state.
-<references />
-==Bibliography==
-* ''[[Filthy Plight]]'' (in: ''[[Combat Manual: Mercenaries]]'')
-* ''[[Handbook: House Kurita]]''
-* ''[[House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)]]''
-* ''[[MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game]]''
-* ''[[Mercenary's Handbook]]''
-* ''[[Wolves on the Border]]'' (novel)
+* ''[[House Kurita Sourcebook]]'', p.62
+* ''[[Wolves on the Border]]''
-[[Category:Mercenary Related Categories]]
+[[Category:Mercenaries]]