Difference between revisions of "Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission"
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| + | [[File:MRBC.jpg|right|150px]]The '''Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission''' (MRBC) is an independent supra-national organisation that serves as the Human Sphere-wide official registrar for all legal [[mercenary unit]]s. Created in [[3053]], it is the direct successor of [[ComStar]]'s '''Mercenary Review Board''' (MRB) that previously filled the same role. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Overview== | ||
| + | The MRBC and previously, the MRB (its predecessor organisation), functions as a mercenary guild, brokering and arbitrating mercenary contracts in the endless wars in the [[Inner Sphere]] and also in the [[Periphery]]. Apart from registering mercenaries and providing a ranking system to gauge performance and reliability, the MRBC also serves as a court of arbitration in contract disputes for both employers and mercenaries. If a [[mercenary unit]] is not registered with the MRB/MRBC then it is not usually considered to be a legitimate mercenary, and therefore not subject to POW rights, among other drawbacks. | ||
| + | |||
| + | While operated by ComStar as the MRB, it was at the same time also a criminal extradition service, a prisoner exchange and ransoming service, and a banking house. Arbitration of contracts by ComStar's Mercenary Review Board provided a valuable safeguard on both sides, as any unit failing to perform contracted services after taking an advance found itself unable to evade ComStar's almost universal reach. ComStar informed other potential employers of a rogue unit's actions, and had the power to threaten an [[Interdiction]] against any House employing such a unit. To ensure fair dealings on the part of employers as well as those they hired, the MRB provided for a panel of ComStar administrators to hear claims concerning breaches of faith and to judge the veracity of complaints. Upon reaching a verdict, the panel broadcasted its findings throughout the Inner Sphere. As the reputations of mercenary units and their employers have a bearing on subsequent negotiations involving other units or Houses, violating contractual terms offered little profit to any concerned. <ref name=CS-15>''ComStar'', p. 15 "Mercenary Review Board"</ref> The MRBC still offers all these functions but to a lesser degree, due to being a separate organisation from ComStar. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | ===The Mercenary Review Board=== | ||
| + | Formed in [[2789]] by ComStar founder [[Jerome Blake]], the Mercenary Review Board allowed ComStar agents to serve as brokers for all mercenaries and their employers in the [[Inner Sphere]].<ref name=CS-15/> The planet [[Galatea]] with its numerous [[Hiring Hall]]s became the "[[Mercenary's Star]]", the greatest center of the mercenary trade in the [[Inner Sphere]] where mercenaries could train, rest, repair and negotiate their contracts. | ||
| + | |||
| + | While publicly accepted as a means to ensure neutral dealings for all parties, ComStar in truth developed the MRB as a clandestine means to monitor and control mercenary forces. Attempts by mercenaries themselves to setup their own competitors to the MRB, such as the short-lived Mercenaries Guild ([[2956]] — [[2968]]), fell prey to the determined opposition of ComStar to prevent any threat to its role as a neutral arbiter of inter-House dealings.<ref name=CS-15/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===The rise of Outreach=== | ||
| + | The first real change in the mercenary business in centuries occurred over several years, and did not affect the Mercenary Review Board as such. [[Wolf's Dragoons]], one of the premier and most influential mercenary units, were granted the world of [[Outreach]] in [[3030]] and began to establish it as a new Hiring Hall. The center of the Inner Sphere's mercenary business gradually shifted from Galatea to Outreach. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===The end of the Mercenary Review Board=== | ||
| + | ComStar lost most of the trust that the powers of the Inner Sphere had previously placed in the organisation because of the ramnifications of the failed [[Operation Scorpion]] and when their clandestine collaboration with the invading [[Clans]] was revealed in 3052. In the [[ComStar Schism|schism]] that followed the upheaval within the organization, the [[Word of Blake]] zealots broke away and ComStar reverted from a mystical sect to a commercial provider of communications and other technology. Bereft of their status as a impartial and trustworthy power, ComStar could not muster the authority anymore to control and arbitrate the mercenary business as they used to and, after 263 years, the MRB essentially collapsed.<ref name=CS-15/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission=== | ||
| + | During the peace summit that [[Primus of ComStar|ComStar Primus]] [[Sharilar Mori]] held on [[Terra]] in the spring of [[3052]], [[Precentor Martial]] [[Anastasius Focht|Focht]] proposed to abandon control.<ref name=CS-78>''ComStar'', p. 78 "United We Stand"</ref> To replace the defunct MRB, the [[Successor State]]s agreed to have the Board re-form as a jointly administered committee made up of representatives from each government. ComStar was allowed to maintain an active seat, and another seat was granted to Wolf's Dragoons, arguably the most famous mercenary unit in existence. Outreach, the home of Wolf's Dragoons and by now already the premier hiring hall, was chosen as the official home of the new Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC) which formed in [[3053]].<ref name=CS-78/> Galatea fell on hard times, although it remained a major center for poorer and ill-reputed mercenaries. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The MRBC essentially continues the MRB's business, and the transition was apparently seamless. In reference to Wolf's Dragoons, who represent the mercenary trade and are regarded as the yardstick against which to measure the success of a mercenary unit, the quality ratings for mercenary units established by the MRBC became colloquially known as "Dragoon Rating". | ||
| + | |||
| + | Following the massive destruction inflicted on Outreach by the [[Jihad]] in [[3067]], the MRBC moved back to Galatea, where they had previously only maintained a subsidiary bureau. It is reportedly still active during the [[Dark Age]], still as the primary authority on the mercenary business.{{cn}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references /> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Bibliography== | ||
| + | *[[ComStar (sourcebook)|''ComStar'']] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:Mercenaries]] | ||
Revision as of 05:11, 28 April 2011
 | This article needs to be updated with material from Field Manual: Mercenaries. Once these titles clear the Moratorium period, or if they already have, please consider revisiting this article and updating it with the new material. |
The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC) is an independent supra-national organisation that serves as the Human Sphere-wide official registrar for all legal mercenary units. Created in 3053, it is the direct successor of ComStar's Mercenary Review Board (MRB) that previously filled the same role.
Contents
Overview
The MRBC and previously, the MRB (its predecessor organisation), functions as a mercenary guild, brokering and arbitrating mercenary contracts in the endless wars in the Inner Sphere and also in the Periphery. Apart from registering mercenaries and providing a ranking system to gauge performance and reliability, the MRBC also serves as a court of arbitration in contract disputes for both employers and mercenaries. If a mercenary unit is not registered with the MRB/MRBC then it is not usually considered to be a legitimate mercenary, and therefore not subject to POW rights, among other drawbacks.
While operated by ComStar as the MRB, it was at the same time also a criminal extradition service, a prisoner exchange and ransoming service, and a banking house. Arbitration of contracts by ComStar's Mercenary Review Board provided a valuable safeguard on both sides, as any unit failing to perform contracted services after taking an advance found itself unable to evade ComStar's almost universal reach. ComStar informed other potential employers of a rogue unit's actions, and had the power to threaten an Interdiction against any House employing such a unit. To ensure fair dealings on the part of employers as well as those they hired, the MRB provided for a panel of ComStar administrators to hear claims concerning breaches of faith and to judge the veracity of complaints. Upon reaching a verdict, the panel broadcasted its findings throughout the Inner Sphere. As the reputations of mercenary units and their employers have a bearing on subsequent negotiations involving other units or Houses, violating contractual terms offered little profit to any concerned. [1] The MRBC still offers all these functions but to a lesser degree, due to being a separate organisation from ComStar.
History
The Mercenary Review Board
Formed in 2789 by ComStar founder Jerome Blake, the Mercenary Review Board allowed ComStar agents to serve as brokers for all mercenaries and their employers in the Inner Sphere.[1] The planet Galatea with its numerous Hiring Halls became the "Mercenary's Star", the greatest center of the mercenary trade in the Inner Sphere where mercenaries could train, rest, repair and negotiate their contracts.
While publicly accepted as a means to ensure neutral dealings for all parties, ComStar in truth developed the MRB as a clandestine means to monitor and control mercenary forces. Attempts by mercenaries themselves to setup their own competitors to the MRB, such as the short-lived Mercenaries Guild (2956 — 2968), fell prey to the determined opposition of ComStar to prevent any threat to its role as a neutral arbiter of inter-House dealings.[1]
The rise of Outreach
The first real change in the mercenary business in centuries occurred over several years, and did not affect the Mercenary Review Board as such. Wolf's Dragoons, one of the premier and most influential mercenary units, were granted the world of Outreach in 3030 and began to establish it as a new Hiring Hall. The center of the Inner Sphere's mercenary business gradually shifted from Galatea to Outreach.
The end of the Mercenary Review Board
ComStar lost most of the trust that the powers of the Inner Sphere had previously placed in the organisation because of the ramnifications of the failed Operation Scorpion and when their clandestine collaboration with the invading Clans was revealed in 3052. In the schism that followed the upheaval within the organization, the Word of Blake zealots broke away and ComStar reverted from a mystical sect to a commercial provider of communications and other technology. Bereft of their status as a impartial and trustworthy power, ComStar could not muster the authority anymore to control and arbitrate the mercenary business as they used to and, after 263 years, the MRB essentially collapsed.[1]
The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission
During the peace summit that ComStar Primus Sharilar Mori held on Terra in the spring of 3052, Precentor Martial Focht proposed to abandon control.[2] To replace the defunct MRB, the Successor States agreed to have the Board re-form as a jointly administered committee made up of representatives from each government. ComStar was allowed to maintain an active seat, and another seat was granted to Wolf's Dragoons, arguably the most famous mercenary unit in existence. Outreach, the home of Wolf's Dragoons and by now already the premier hiring hall, was chosen as the official home of the new Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC) which formed in 3053.[2] Galatea fell on hard times, although it remained a major center for poorer and ill-reputed mercenaries.
The MRBC essentially continues the MRB's business, and the transition was apparently seamless. In reference to Wolf's Dragoons, who represent the mercenary trade and are regarded as the yardstick against which to measure the success of a mercenary unit, the quality ratings for mercenary units established by the MRBC became colloquially known as "Dragoon Rating".
Following the massive destruction inflicted on Outreach by the Jihad in 3067, the MRBC moved back to Galatea, where they had previously only maintained a subsidiary bureau. It is reportedly still active during the Dark Age, still as the primary authority on the mercenary business.[citation needed]