military/mercenary careers

I'm collecting ammunition to deal with my sister

She is really, really opposed to me getting a career as a soldier

And I am like Well duh I'm a great sniper I killed a bunch of husks what else am I gonna do with my life

And she says that's the kind of talent you only use in extreme necessity (you know like reaper wars) and not the sort of thing you should use to make a living for yourself because killing is bad

Which is easy to say when you're a great cook and a war hero but not so easy when all you're really good at is shooting stuff

And I just turned 14 so this is the year I have to figure this out.

so okay extranet I want to hear some different perspectives this is a pretty mixed group to give me answers.

My dad says I should go to university or college. He says if I still want to be a soldier after that, at least I'd be making an adult and educated decision. My sister says I should take this chance she never had. But there is no "sniper school" and I don't know what else I'd go to school for.

Mr. Harrad says I should join the Hierarchy military, and they'd give me an education and a job. My sister says if I do this then I have to do what the Hierarchy says, and I'm stuck for like 15 years. My dad doesn't say anything about this because the Hierarchy fucked him up real bad and I kinda don't want to ask him. On one hand he's a pretty loyal guy and never says anything bad about the Hierarchy; on the other hand his own blood kin won't talk to him, partly because of what got done to him. I think he's legally dead, and has been for decades. He's got a tombstone and everything.

My sister says if I don't know what school to go to, I should work to earn an honest living while I am figuring it out. She actually suggested I work outside the range so that I get a grown up life outside the hall; but she also said I could work at the hall while I was looking for a job. I already know though that there aren't a lot of jobs for teenage turians; all the Hierarchy kids are expected to go to boot and if I was willing to take the kind of jobs that other species' teenagers take, I'd end up slopping ramen down at the noodle house, or processing payments at a shopping centre. I'm a precision sniper; I can do better than that.

Raelon says I'm on absolute drugs if I go to Omega to be a merc again because Omega sucks and he worked most of his life to get off Omega before he got killed. But I still know guys on Omega, I know they'd give me a job.

so what did you guys do after you came of age and looking back would you do the same again? also i know I'm in pretty lucky circumstances right now, is my sister right, am I stupid to want to be a soldier when I'm living in a place where I don't have to?

You should join the Hierarchy military. They'll give you an education and a job.

This is the best option.

What Sarah says. Joining the Hierarchy would be my advice as well.
Also it offers a guidance. It's a pillar of Council space security for over a millennium if that's worth anything.

Hierarchy military. Merc life is terrible - and you have to buy your own guns. If you're actually such a great sniper as you claim, they'll probably put you as sharpshooter or something.

Leaving aside that Trex has Sundowner facepaint...

...It's not reasonable to expect a military, like the Hierarchy, to be given a precision weapon and not use it. They're not a social services agency; they're an army. Trex is a very good sniper, and I am certain they would employ her as such.

Essentially that was what happened to her father. His skills were surpassed only by his loyalty and they took advantage of that fact. That's why they declared him dead and shifted him into black ops.

Yes, he chose to serve his people that way. He also admits to being young, dumb, and blinded by idealism.

He's been broken in a way I can't fix. Spirits knows I've tried. I'm hoping it's not too late for Trex.

Is it so wrong for me to want something more for her than what he had?

Oh you two can just fuck right off, if the best you can shit out is "'cause it's totes good, trust me" then get the fuck out of the thread.

Right.

So anyway.

You know what I'm probably gonna say (join the Suns) and you're right, I'm gonna say it, but unlike the two dumb bints up there I'm going to give some fucking reasons.

Best one, imo anyway, is that the Blue Suns are a fucking solid outfit. We're organized, we've got numbers, we've got fucking discipline, and we've got one of the best, I shit you not one of the best logistics trains of any military in the fucking galaxy. That means you don't run short on sinks, you can pick up some fucking sweet guns from the quartermasters, that means that we've got food, armor, and meds when small time outfits are scraping spare creds together to keep themselves in houses.

And yeah, being part of a pretty fucking massive corp means means that you get paid, that you get paid well (seriously the money's great) and you get pain on time. And since the PMC is usually shelling out for room and board in the barracks you've got plenty of disposable income to blow on your kit or your vices. Me? I've got an Armax Inferno grenade pattern, splitter variant, and it's fucking mine. Aquila? He's

okay he's a complete manwhore anyway so maybe not the best example.

Anyway.

How much is the Hierarchy going to be paying it's people for the better part of the next couple years huh?

Best thing is? Wearing the blue and white gets you fucking respect, it gives you access. It means that there are entire districts on Omega an Cartagena and entire fucking planets where the Suns word is pr much law and you get to enjoy the perks. Yellowbellies might have pretty little trade worlds like Illium 'n the Redbacks might do Deep Terminus work but we've got stupid amounts of pull in the Traverse.

You're kinda young yeah but not that young and if you can get a few known Omega locals to set you up with some references or just get a private demo with a Suns recruiter you're kinda set girl. Snipers are spiritsdamn valuable; most make Legionnaire grade with a couple years of decent service (can ask Grayeye more 'bout that though, not really my thing).

And if you're wondering what the perks of being a motherfucking Legionnaire are, you get better pay and privileges like nicer bunking and loggie support. You're elite.

Oh and

and and and

You're good at fighting? You want to fight? Suns are fucking rolling in contracts 'specially post R-War. Hierarchy's not going to be doing shit besides nipping some pirates or raiders in the bud for the next couple decades. Us? We're going to be busy. It's a fucking rare day when a Suns detachment doesn't have work lined up for it.

But yeah

Being a merc only sucks if you're small time. Suns?

We take care of our own.

One Shot Wonder, an education is important. When I was your age, I was already going into high-level education courses and they've really helped me. Having a good education goes a long way when trying to get a job or later on in life. It shows that you're capable of handling problems, you're intelligent and it helps with getting ahead. You're not going to find a Hierarchy-level education in the Blue Suns, no matter how much it's users will try to sugar-coat the outfit and white-wash all of the activities they perform.
"We take care of our own" is an argument you'll hear in any mercenary or military outfit.

Please consider your future before you make any rash decisions.

Sssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Calm down, Cass. I know you're excited that you get to show everyone your toys but you'll hurt yourself if you keep this up. My toys aren't quite legal to show but that's neither here nor there.

In all seriousness, I would tentatively agree with Cass on this one. Not... quite to the tune of his furiously masturbatory tone, though. How's your wrist, sweetie? But yes, merc groups as a whole mostly get an undeserved rap. I say mostly because yeah, there are the stupid try-hard freelancers and the smaller shady outfits and the Blood Pack in all their 'who the fuck keeps hiring them' glory. Still, really, it's not like you get hired to start wars for fun and profit as a Sun. Guard work, garrison work, regional conflicts. Kinda shit you'd be doing anyway as a 'proper' soldier. Being a merc just means you get paid better.

Or 'at all' as far as the Hierarchy goes. But we have a storied history, them and I, so take that how you wish.

Yup. With an education you too can be just like the cerbieslut with no mental filter and a squeeze who got her kidnapped by the galaxy's shittiest terrorists after she got herself knocked up (probably to keep the marriage going 'cause why the fuck else would an active duty officer have the kid).

aka a fucking idiot.

Seriously, if that shit's that important to you, you can do a few extranet classes for credits and get an equivalency degree while you're working. Dunno why you'd need to 'xactly (doesn't hurt I don't think but long an good service and prior experience tends to count for more when making officer grade) but you can do it on your own time.
...have you read any of our posts? Bitch we don't sugarcoat shit.
'Cept we can actually, you know, back it up unlike most.

Have I told you I hate you recently?

'Cause, uh, I kinda hate you.

I hate you too <3

Only when you're doing it to people that don't really deserve it.


There's a lot of options, but speaking as a guy who's mostly good for programming? I hear what you're sayin', kid.


Hey hey hey.

It only sucks when you piss off the wrong people and can't look out for yourself.


Not necessarily.

But I do need to stress that if you're gonna do stuff like that, do it smart and shoot the right people.


Hilariously false.


>Implying C-Space security's ever been worth a damn


Merc life actually isn't that bad, by all accounts. Speaking as a guy who's done some merc work himself in the past, and has a lot of mercs as friends and regular business associates? It only sucks when you get shot, no different from regular militaries.


You know, you almost had me scrabbling to find the nearest recruiter right up until


ahahahahaaaaa

Seriously, though, kid, if you're gonna go merc, I need to stress that you wanna do it on your terms. Go freelance, and get people to watch your ass. People you trust, preferably people with some experience, and people with diverse skill-sets - form a small-time outfit and then stay small-time, and be your own boss. Gives you a bit more control over what you do, keeps you from doing stuff you'll regret while exercising the one skill you feel you can do well. Hell, you don't even need to take contract-work. Go pirate-hunting or something - galaxy could do with less people like that. Plenty of money to be made on salvage looting.

In fact, fuck it! If you decide to come to Omega (not endorsing the decision one way or the other), I'll watch your ass myself. I'm a local, I know the area, I’ve got a lot of local contacts, and I've got some experience in the field. Plus I’m a tech-expert. If you come out this way and need some help on a job, say the word.

Become a security consultant, (not to be confused with a bodyguard,) in C-Space.

It is a varied job, you get to apply your skills without actually having to kill someone, you get to meet interesting people, it is all legal, occasionally there is some cause for some adrenaline pumping action (granted that generally means you messed up,) and at the end of the day you get to go back home to one of the nicer neighborhoods on the Citadel.

You will need some courses on business management and work a few years as bodyguard before you can start on your own but it is perfectly doable for you.

If you seek a job, I could use a page for the moment, the entire internal communication system at the embassy has become a mess of late with the renovations going on, so if you feel like it let me know, its not really high ranking job but it looks better on your resume than your average teenager jobs, also it pays a heck of a lot better.

I wouldn't really recommend to going over to the Hierarchy, they're bit of nepotistic bunch at the end of the day.

And you will have my eternal hate if you go to merc business.

So, get educated so you'll have more options.

I'm just gonna stop you right there. You know what freelancers are? They're fucking cannon fodder. People don't hire freelancers unless they can't do better and they don't bring them onboard unless it's for fucking small-time shit like courier jobs or close protection work for some gangster. And if they can do better they're bringing on freelancers as spiritsdammed meat shields. 'Cause, you know, freelancers are disposable.

People don't cross Suns groups unless they're stupidly powerful an have their own militaries to back them up. Freelancers? They've got shit unless they get reeeaaaally fucking lucky and land a decent contact with someone who actually matters. Like, us? We're pretty damn close to the top of the foodchain. Freelancers? Waaaaaaay down by the fucking bottom.

Seriously.

You're talking about competing with the Big Three and however many fucking other corps or groups do merc work an acting like you have a chance in hells of getting anything better than the scraps.

Unless you're saying she should be a hitter or something in which case, sure, go for it but most tend to have short lifespans 'n get bought up by someone with deep pockets sooner or later anyway.

You, uh, do know that most of those people get snapped up by the big groups right? And most go 'cause we, you know, pay better than a fucking freelancer group could.

Which really just leaves the people who have something wrong with them, don't matter, or are completely fucktarded.

HahahaahahahahahahahhAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAHHA.

She would be eaten alive you dumbfuck and you know it. Don't even try to shit yourself, crusaders get fucking decimated the moment they annoy someone enough.

Hey. Hey you know the great thing about corps like the Suns?

Don't have to pick through pirate trash to make a living.
She's like, fourteen man.

An probably out of your league anyway.

So, like, have you ever fought in an actual campaign? Not one of those shitty "Imma ttyll badass supermerc lol!1!!1" gigs or two small time groups going at it over a couple districts but an actual war?

Freelancer by any other name is still boring as shit man.

You say that like it actually means something for some reason.

Brilliant man. Fucking brilliant.

I'm actually gonna disagree with my Legionnaire for a change---but since he runs his fucking mouth all the damn time it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Kid, soldier with the Hierarchy first---you'll pick up the necessary skills and trades of a professional soldier, get discipline, all that fun shit in a more highly-funded training environment than even the Suns can provide. Not to mention the free education. That's not badass enough for you? We're not fucking likely to hire you on without it.

The Suns are a corporation, much as we like to tout our heavy end of the hammer. We gotta save money somewhere, and that somewhere for the most part is training. A lot of our contracts are training colonial militias or similar stuff, why would we waste time and resources training up our own guys when there's a ready-made pool of guys who know what the fuck they're doing out there?

And soldiering's not for everyone. If that's the case it's a damn sight better to find that out in an outfit that has government backing for those who can't hack it. The Suns look after their own, but we can't bring the resources of an entire government to bear.

In a nutshell? Do a stint with the Hierarchy and get an education in case you prefer civvie street. You like it, want better pay and more excitement and less garrison bullshit, sign on with the Suns after you're done your stint. Avoid freelancing on Omega like it is the fucking plague.

Damn right I know, she's a kid and I've got years on her.

'Cause the dude who won't stop bitching about the new gov he sold out his old gov for clearly has some good fucking judgement.

I gotta agree with our friendly neighborhood politician, to a degree. Do your service to the Hierarchy first, because honestly if you skip out on that no one C-Space wise is gonna hire you. Now, assuming you do some kind of combat capacity or anything like that, you can open yourself to the Wide World of Weaponized business.

Now, if you are intelligent then that leaves you with stuff like maybe getting an attache job or working in the Industrial Complex. I know plenty of guys who went and now do work with like Aldrin or Elkoss and they make pretty penny by testing different stuff all the time. Or you can get a gig as an Attache to some fancy politician, or advisory in T-Space. Know some guys out there these days too.

Then there are contractors, which really ranges from various groups in C-Space to the Big Three and beyond. Now I will say the contracting department is a little high supply low demand these days. Because, you see every Tom Dick and Larry who fought in the war thinks they are qualified because they shit their pants looking at Husks. This is not true. But if you have half a brain and paid attention to training, and was in an actual unit (and I don't mean those Planetary reserves or whatever you Turians have that train once a year) then you should have a shot.

Long Story short, kiddo, is that military training's all on you. Keep up your fitness and pay attention. Focus on what's in front of you and take things a day at a time. No females within 300 klicks of a base really love you, they want your pay check. Follow your orders, but listen to your Squad Leaders. Infantry is the only units that matter. The only Naval units worth a damn are Frigates, and Carriers are for pussies.

Oh, and if you don't get into any Special Operations capacity then don't even consider any higher tier C-Space Contracting groups. T-Space I don't know.

Oh, for fuck's sakes. Stop encouraging the kid to go merc, guys. I know you lot think you're all badass and the bee's knees and all that, but there's a time and place for wanking off to yourself, and this ain't it.

To Trex - first off, I wouldn't look to these numbskulls for advice. Most of 'em are either overexcited kids or far too ingrained in the 'kill shit for money' life to even think of coming out. Your sister and father sound like they've got their heads screwed on straight - listen to them, at least for a little bit.

Second, do you have any idea how many mercs I treat per day? And I'm just at a small-time clinic that deals with local shit. A lot of kids just like yourself come out to Omega everyday to be mercs, and I find most of them near-dead in a gutter. And before the Suns get uppity, they're not just freelancers. I find plenty of bodies in Suns (and Eclipse, and Blood Pack) armour too. A bullet doesn't discriminate by how official-lookin' your armour is.

Third, I've been on Omega all my life, more or less. It sucks. Don't come here if you have the choice. And take advantage of the opportunities you've got on the Citadel - education, and all that. Call me crazy, but I'd rather not see another kid throw their life away as a merc. If you really must shoot things for a living (a profession the galaxy could seriously do with less of), at least join up with a legit military. Or go find another job where you can do that - don't they have police snipers out in civilised space?

see the big problem with Hierarchy is that I'm going to have to go to boot and start at the bottom. They don't care that I've got 48 kills to my name. Dad says they want to make sure I integrate. That they filter out people who challenge the rules, don't toe the line and don't play well with others. And my dad had to pass boot AND a whole bunch of other courses before they let him run around like a one man deathsquad killing everything he saw.

(For the record, they'll lie about him AND his whole unit if you ask.)

It sounds like school all over again. School sucks. The other kids are dumb and pussies and I keep getting in trouble for fighting even though I haven't permanently injured anyone. All they care about is sneaking hachix and getting boys to like them. I don't want to have to lick the Hierarchy's boots on top of it, and besides I'll be super old by the time they let me out, like 30. Even my sister's not THAT old.

I know how to run a VI spotter program. I know how to stalk a target. I know how to blow someone's head off from a mile away. I know how to get out of the area before said someone's goons find me and make my skin into a carpet. I don't see what the hell marching and shit has to do with any of that. I know how to kill who I'm told to kill; why isn't that enough?

...I asked my dad if he would teach me to be a hitman and he said no.

parents are total hypocrites