The Kikyo Mercenary Charter, or simply the Kikyo Charter is a set of laws affecting the earliest of nepleslia's traditions in its massive cadre of mercenaries that call the DIoNs borders home. Before the charter, mercenaries within and outside of the DIoNs borders operated within an unspoken set of laws and rules of war between themselves to balance out the bloody profession with a sense of honor and civility in the case of some of the largest and most prominent of the sectors mercenary forces. While the charter is not mandatory to any of the groups it describes it is designed with the intent of incentivizing mercantile groups to sign under it with considerable benefits and legal protection with minimal required oversight; Making most already legally operating mercenary groups within and around the DIoNs borders gaining more than they had to lose while less than legal groups found themselves further struggling in a mercenary market now catering towards sponsored and vetted groups signed to the charter.

The charter was drawn up by the current National Commissioner; Daimon in YE 42, When a massive mercenary threat by the Interstellar Kingdom Of Kuvexia threatened to monopolize on the mercantile market and threaten the imperium by taking over the mercenary market of which was housed almost predominately inside the DIoNs borders.

• Ragnarok
• Strays - Suspected Charter Violations

Please note that due to the nature of their people and relation to the DIoN the Freespacers are exempt from the kikyo charter unless directly acting in the interest of the DIoN such as the Viridian Array who are considered a tax-exempt and honorary group on the kikyo charter and are tolerated to dictate its rules as they see fit.

The charter dictates mercenaries into three separate groups. Default mercenaries who offer and perform a broad range of functions, Private Military who offer almost exclusively into military actions, and Privateers who operate as private ship captains and commodores who perform police or anti-piracy actions in the absence of military vessels.

Each of these three categories operates under different rules and are subject to different benefits, restrictions, and laws.

A mercenary is an individual or small¹⁾ group of individuals offering their services for hire under loose terms with or without a contract. A mercenary or mercenary group often specializes as a mixed bag of particular skill sets ranging from such as private military actions, security, logistics, etc. And are based around the combined skills of the group as a whole. Mercenary bands due to their widespread nature, ease of employment, and difficulty to police often opt not to sign to the charter due to their often less than professional conduct. Those that do sign are offered legal representation and protection by the DIoN government and access to easy employment by those seeking cheaper options to situations while being an unprotected group of mercenaries are subject to curtailment and strict and immediate punishment due to their lawless nature if by the National Police Force of Nepleslia like anyone else found breaking the law (such as getting into firefights on the street on behalf of their employer, illegal bounty hunting, etc. including but not limited to:

• Fines not exceeding 20,000DA.
• Imprisonment for a minimum 5 years.
• mandatory service within the NSMC.
• Hard Labor.
• Community Service within the New Yellow Relief and Developmental Society or humanitarian organizations.

Please note that all bounty hunters seeking any bounty payable by the DIoN government or seeking to collect a bounty payable by parties outside of DIoN borders but currently operating within DIoN borders are required to be signed to the charter or they will be charged with attempted kidnapping.

Private military companies (PMCs) also known as Private Forces (PFs), Military Contractors, and similar titles such as simply labeling them as mercenaries are groups who have exceeded numbers often above 50 and are military in nature. These groups often centered around military actions on behalf of private investors or actionary governments are hired for exuberant stipends to perform actions against any number of entities.

PMC groups are the contemporary strand of the mercenary trade, providing logistics, soldiers, military training, and other services. Thus, PMC contractors are civilians authorized to accompany an army to the field or act as one; hence, the term civilian contractor. Nevertheless, PMCs may use armed force, hence defined as: “legally established enterprises that make a profit, by either providing services involving the potential exercise of armed force in a systematic way and by military means, and by the transfer of that potential to clients through training and other practices, such as logistics support, equipment procurement, and intelligence gathering or as military liaisons.

PMC groups are allowed to operate loosely within nepleslian space and within proximity to its borders so long as they are registered with the NPF and pay yearly taxes that are geared towards maintaining a census of each PMC groups accurate numbers, equipment, personnel, ships, armor, funds, and utilities. This ensures that a proper paper trail exists to account for each group's actions and placement during each quarter for legal reasons.

PMC groups, due to their standing in the nepleslian government and reputation of being an official and signed group participating in the rules of the kikyo charter are capable and able to operate on behalf of any government or private investor within the kikyo sector and are semi-protected under the DIoNs laws so long as they act accordingly and stay in good standing and can expect the backing of the nepleslian government as protection for their actions as nepleslian citizens and valued assets if the situation warrants, but are not immune to the laws of the government or land they are operating in if they are broken.

Because of this PMC groups are held to a higher standard in nepleslian law due to their capabilities and are rewarded with semi-autonomy and exemption from certain nepleslian laws when acting on behalf of the imperium and are often rewarded with privileges such as the right to the spoils of war and funding often reserved for nepleslian government agencies.

A good example of one of these groups is Ragnarok PMC. Who despite their previous actions and service under a formerly hostile entity to the imperium operate within its rules and have never actively acted against the democratic imperium short of helping [REDACTED BY ORDER OF THE INTELLIGENCE AND PACIFICATION GROUP] rise to power over the planet Planet Osman but never raised a direct arm to the imperium.

PMC described groups not signed to the kikyo charter and who operate within or in proximity to nepleslian space are widely considered as unknown and dangerous military groups and are subject to the following if challenged and found guilty upon suspect of breaking DIoN or international law but are not limited to:

• Seizure of property (Weapons, ships, possessions).
• Detainment and incarceration.
• Fines no less than 140,000DA.
• Being marked as a hostile entity to the democratic imperium in the future.
• Barring from nepleslian space.
• Engagement by NSN ships.
• Sanctions.

Privateers are semi tolerated under the charter under the kikyo charters laws and are counted by the number of ships and are not limited to personnel. Privateers are independent ships or small flotillas of armed ships exceeding no more than 30 ships that are hired for various actions ranging from the elimination of hostile pirate²⁾ ships, smugglers, and raiders who are classified as hostile in the eyes of the NPF who can otherwise not dedicate resources to tackling such invasive threats. Smugglers, while valued as they are-are not exempt from Weapon Limitations and Military Buildup Limitations and are under risk of censure if found wielding military grade hulls and weapons without the express permission of the DIoN government.

Privateers, while a risky profession is rewarded quite well under the charter as first salvage rights are awarded to privateers without risk of seizure by nepleslian authorities so long as they are claimed and registered with nepleslian port authorities within a 14 day period of seizure. Exemptions to these rules include military grade ships which are often stripped of weapons and sensitive materials and equipment and a portion of their value rewarded to said privateers.

Privateers may request specific salvage from captured vessels if considered contraband such as military-grade weapons, hulls, or systems as payment instead of a currency payout but is more often than not denied.

The Kikyo Charter defines a mercenary or private military group as a person, group, or organization who takes part in an armed conflict or service which requires arms, who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain such as material compensation through their service from these individuals and groups the nepleslian government, one of the most powerful political and military governments within the kikyo sector issues the charter as a mandatory vessel of laws and order for any such groups who meet that description. As the nepleslian government houses roughly 95% of mercenary qualified groups in the sector, the nepleslian government retains the right to tax and impose law on these groups as an asset and dissolve or destroy any group looking to challenge its right to do so.

The nepleslian government, under the watchful eye of its police force also impose a laws of war code on these groups and their actions that can be found below that acts as a looser form of laws held to any armed nepleslian organization and are subject to severe punishment if found broken in or out of nepleslian space. Because of this, these groups are semi-protected under nepleslian law as nepleslian citizens and nepleslian backed organizations so long as they follow these laws and can expect legal representation and judiciary protection unless found in violation of said laws.

A mercenary shall not have the right to be a combatant or a prisoner of war. Mercenaries are considered a gray area between military and civilian contractors. As such they are not given the same rights of protection as any military combatant when captured by an opposing force and are instead subject to the local laws and customs. As such a mercenary is not considered a captured soldier and is not a lawful combatant and therefore is not a protected person that is required to face a military tribunal. Mercenaries captured under combat conditions are to be treated as detained DIoN citizens pending trial and are afforded all legal rights and representation lest the DIoN government gets involved.

A mercenary, while an unlawful combatant must be treated with humanity and, in case of trial, shall not be deprived of the rights of fair and regular trial. This goes the same for any soldier or civilian captured or detained by mercenary forces until they can be handed over to the proper local authorities of the recognized faction, government, or entity they are currently operating in no less than 7 days after they are taken to custody by said group.

Mercenaries are required to treat all captured, detained, or rescued individuals as humanely as possible. Providing medical aid, food, water, shelter, and clothing to said individuals and are not authorized to seek legal or illegal retribution for any deed said individual has committed. This includes summary execution, torture, or sentencing of any kind and shall not be deprived of the rights of a fair and regular trial

The legal status of mercenary contractors depends upon the nature of their work and their nationalities with respect to that of the combatants. As such a private military group may face harsher sentencing than a mercenary group transporting and guarding logistics as the latter are those who have non-combat support roles and are entitled to protection under nepleslian law.

Charter signed groups may base and house within nepleslian space and territory and on its borders without fear of retribution so long as they report their holdings and assets to members of the NPF quarterly and are subject to inspection by NPF officials. This includes the construction of stations within nepleslian space and docking of their ships at nepleslian station or outside of it that are considered protected assets and are subject to protection by NSN assets if in good standing with the nepleslian government and are well kept and known by said government.

Charter signed groups are allowed to recruit, train, finance, and fund their operations in nepleslian space and outside of it the same as any nepleslian business. But like such are subject to taxes based on the number of personnel and assets.

PMC and mercenary forces are allowed and tolerated to use any and every piece of purchased or acquired equipment they obtain unless otherwise barred or marked as illegal by local government forces or the nearest authority.

Mercenary forces unless barred have access to the following:

• Sub-military grade starship hulls and weaponry.
• Legally purchased or manufactured Powered Armor frames.
• Legally purchased Mecha or mechanized frames.
• Legally purchased or manufactured tanks, armor, armored personnel carriers, and similar armored vehicles.
• Legally purchased or manufactured fighter craft and similar aircraft.
• Small arms and explosives.
• Legally purchased or manufactured protective armor.
• Shuttles and small ships both armed and unarmed for means of transportation, CAS, COIN, assault, or emergency relief.

The following equipment and utilities are barred for use in and out of civilized space and are subject to extreme and unavoidable punishment when applicable:

• Exothermics ranging to a sub-nuclear level within 50km of a population center.
• Nuclear exothermics ranging up to 1kt within 100km of a population center.
• Radioactive weaponry.
• Virus or biological weaponry.
• Shipboard weapons in atmosphere against non-ship oriented targets³⁾
• Nuclear weaponry detonated in the upper atmosphere of any planet.
• Aether weaponry.
• Teleportation technology.
• Antimatter weaponry ranging to any higher yield than .7kt within a planets atmosphere.
• Hallucinogenic or drug usage on an enemy or neutral combatants.
• Attack animals or inhumanely trained biological trained fauna.
• Use of heavy⁴⁾ weaponry against sub-PA armored targets⁵⁾
• Use of flamethrowers or plasma gout weaponry against sub-PA armored targets.

Non-members of a mercenary group recruited un-officially such as locals in areas operated by charter signed mercenaries are not considered protected under nepleslian law but are otherwise allowed to be recruited and trained by a mercenary group acting as military experts or liaisons to train or bolster any private or government force.

Mercenary groups and forces may act on behalf of the nepleslian government⁶⁾ to act as militia or security forces, privateers, and supplementary forces in times of conflict or war and are allowed immediate compensation to be paid by the nearest government entity.

Mercenary groups are allowed to act as corporate security or government militia forces⁷⁾ and are to be paid and provided logistics from their parent entity or local government.

Mercenary groups may combat each other under fair, unfair, or any terms so long as one mercenary group contacts the NPF with their intentions and seek conflict in areas outside of populated centers. The NPF will notify the defendant group or individual within the hour if applicable, and within the day if not. The aggressor group is not required to wait for a longer than one hour grace period before hostilities may begin.

In the case of hostile disputes between mercenary groups, If it is deemed a threat to public safety the NPF may deny conflict and simply rule in favor of the group requesting conflict or the target group and impose sanctions or award concessions to be paid out by the losing group; or in other cases designate territory or location for said groups to be in dispute without risking public safety or lives if both groups agree.

The nepleslian government is not required to provide interference or aid in such disputes and if necessary, such amenities will often be charged to the winning side if found to be required. Such amenities charged to the winner will come out of any awarded concessions.

Charmaylarg created this article on 2020/01/26 11:19.

This article was approved by Andrew on 2023/09/13⁸⁾.