The sole security and contracting arm of the corporation Shasta's World.

The strays are a rag-tag group of mostly un-vetted¹⁾ mutants, uplifted, Creating a Voidfolk Character, Kuznyetski, And other such Nepleslian minority groups all hired onto the corporations security forces. Not for any known degree of training or merit but instead based solely off the connection to the Mad Mutant on various InterNep based forum boards based around these minority groups. They are a combination of security forces, mercenaries, and sometimes considered Pirates due to their collateral damage and poor training.

The Strays are held loosely together by a handful of competent veterans in its leadership cadre, a sizable paycheck and the acquisition of free weapons, armor, equipment, and virtually free cybernetic enhancements offered by the corporation to its employees and best of all first pick among collected salvage on expeditions.

Strays Security Forces
CEO	Shasta Archeletta
Faction	Shasta No Sekai, Independent
Product Symbol	SW
POurpose	Security, Mercenary, Pirate

Headquarters

The headquarters for the Strays is on the devastated former spacer world of Freehold Factory, At the Shasta No Sekai factory Ricinus. Where they guard the entrance to a massive collection of tunnels that span the territory. As well as escort and guard expeditions into said tunnel network.

Training

The average Stray has little training to speak of. Like most Nepleslians he knows how to handle a weapon and fight, but is likely only bringing such skills to the table. What little training is offered is at the time and expense of a handful of former NSN/NSMC veterans mixed in with these individuals who have grown through the ranks and ended up as leaders among them. How much of this training sticks is dependent on the motivation and pre-established experience of the stray.

Most strays that simply guard the factories are content with the bare minimum. While those that venture into the tunnels or in arms against rival salvage companies or established threats either learn through experience, or necessity.

Personnel

The Strays are not a large force like some companies might hire on. They are not a dedicated mercenary force to call upon in times of war or battle. Their numbers while always fluctuate as security personnel fall into holes, fall off of scaffolding, get maimed in testing for the R&D, or outright shoot themselves with a negligent discharge number of roughly between one and two thousand as of YE-47²⁾ between the three factories and on board the small fleet of Shasta No Sekai ships.

Each Stray is just that. There are no ranks or coherent command structure beyond clear leadership through teams formed around veterans. There is the leader of the strays, The Commander Type drone, Alpha-Beta, also known as Abby or Abigail for short. She is often depicted as a drone in a frilly maid dress gifted to her by Shasta, and her Oni style horns. And on occasion one of her six sisters in the Pledias who each run a company of drones.

Besides the normal strays there are two side branches; The Terror Wolves of Freehold numbering between 50-100 pilots of the corporation's Mecha who operate in 3-5 pilot lances.

Likewise there is the Automated Army Project. Made up of Five companies of exclusively Fairy controlled drones each led by one of the Pledias Fairys in a commander-type body.

The strays are paid on average a weekly stipend.

While they are paid rather low for a job with such high mortality rate being a stray can pay lucratively well if done well. For both the strays and their mech counterparts they are both given first-pick and right for any salvage they are responsible for creating or directly finding.

Given the right of first pick allows a stray responsible for a kill; Be it of an enemy trooper in conflict or another mecha as a pilot, each stray is entitled to 1/3rd of the salvage for a kill, find, or capture right off the bat. Each strays Fairy AI will catalog and determine not only if their stray was responsible but also its general worth and value.

From there another 1/3rd of the salvage is claimed in the value calculated by the fairys of the team, unit, or lance responsible for the kill or capture and will be divided up amongst them either as an entire piece of salvage if agreed on or in monetary value.

The final 1/3rd goes to the corporation either in salvage or when sold in its monetary value.

For extremely important, intact, or high-value salvage such as entire starships, in tact vehicles or mecha, factories, sensitive technology, etc. The corporation reserves the right to buy out the other 2/3rds of the salvage from all parties involved. The full 2/3rds monetary value of the captured or killed item(s) as calculated by the fairys will be paid out to the team and individual rights holders. This cannot be refused to disputed by any of the 2/3rd salvage holders and the full value of their claim, which is often considerate, is paid out to them in Davis Allaince currency.

Likewise if the salvage is low in value the main rights holder can prematurely buyout the both their team and the corporation of their share if their Fairy receives permission. Such examples are a Stray buying out the shares from currency he would already receive from his team and the corporation if he wanted the personal weapon of an enemy he killed without needing to argue for it with his team and the corporation his Fairy may query from one of the Pledias or her fellow sisters on the same team to give the primary holder the weapon in return for his share of the salvage.

Some examples of salvage are:

• The weapons or armor of an enemy.
• The powerplant, weapons, shields, etc. Of a mecha.
• Etc.

All of the strays, being a security force have basic equipment to do their jobs. Beyond basic and rarely matching weapons the strays each have their own corporation issued Fairy Ai to help them in their jobs.

For uniforms, the Strays all have semi-matching khaki-tan fatigues made of water and fire-retardant materials, a pressure undersuit that while not void-rated keeps the low-pressure and thin atmosphere of freehold from killing them that cycles fluid in an inner pouch to cycle between raising and lowering the suits internal tempeture. To add to the ensemble is an insulated overcoat made of the same material that is lined with threads of higher-element nickle to help mitigate overt radiation and also protect the stray from sand, heat, cold, etc.

The overcoat also comes with a hood, gloves, and boots.

Each stray also has a rig with internal oxygen tanks that hook up to a rebreather-gasmask with reflective lenses that keep the sun from blinding them.

Finally, combat webbing or even a much more protective hardsuit is provided to not only equip body armor but also store magazines and gear in pouches.

Those strays who pilot the mecha of the Terror Wolf Project are also issued a mecha flight suit or Barghest hardsuit that is less obstructive in the cockpit of their mech and does much the same as the basic uniform.

Common Equipment:

• SnS Freehold Pattern Laslock
• Fairy Ai
• SnS Power Glove
• Barghest Hardsuit

Charmaylarg created this article on 2019/02/09 08:39.

The logo used for the strays was purchased by char off the Artstation marketplace Here in a decal pack that comes with a standard use license for personal use.