Mezametara Saikyou Soubi to Uchuusen-mochi datta node, Ikkodate Mezashite Youhei to shite Jiyuu ni Ikitai - Ch. 59

[GridLite]

Looks like there's an implication that crystal life forms can sense human intentions while cannot do to androids because robot cpu.

---

I get that the fubar is imminent but at least contact the main command while doing FTL jumps.

Bro really said "I'm very sane" and did the most life threatening actions a fighter pilot can do lmao

 

[finalm]

I tried to cover all the points that you've raised up until now and here's the possibly final text wall of doom.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to dash those hopes.

The novel starts with

Spoiler: Cold jolted me awake

"Cold jolted me awake.
Dark, freezing cold.
Where was I? A sea of magnificent stars swirled before me, vast and incomprehensible. I’d never witnessed such a sight in all my life."

immediately giving first person narrative. Almost every scene from that point forward is filtered through Hiro’s eyes and his limited knowledge (unless it showcases some other events but ones happening right now, like in Ch.29.2). By adhering to Hiro's first-person limited perspective, the narrative naturally restricts worldbuilding to what he personally experiences and discovers. This means readers only learn about political shifts, military movements, and galactic events as Hiro does, avoiding omniscient info-dumps and enhancing immersion. I think that is more welcoming than having to read the history of the galaxy in just the prologue alone... (Looking at you Mahouka... still I fairly enjoy it). And while indeed the author doesn't include any investigation foreshadowing, I never claimed there is or is not any. Only that if there is any, Hiro will have no knowledge of it until it is revealed.

Also I think you are missing some key points. Because of this perspective, the conflict such as Military vs Guild doesn't get explained much since he doesn't get in much conflicts. However his inner thoughts on receiving the award this time does give a bit of information.

Let's not pretend a first person perspective with a non-omniscient narrator makes skipping rich worldbuilding, with believable consequences somehow acceptable. There is no need for infodumps, there are plenty of literary tools to show rather than tell. Encounters, plot hooks in conversations and others. It's a hallmark of poor writing to have characters who purely do exposition too, like the AI on the vacation planet.

However even without this, basing on manga alone: How Serena and her Top Brass officers are careful about Hiro - a Gold Rank mercenary; How he trusts the guild will protect him most of the time; How many the pirates there are in the Empire (basically everywhere they go).
You can infer from those facts alone the following: The military does not have the upper hand over the guild and the guild needs the military. That is because:

• The guild receives most of their contracts from the military and military also pays out the bounties.
• The military basically outsources/supplements the internal safety of their trade routes to the guild and depending on their needs bolster their own numbers by hiring mercenaries' small ships.

Meaning that if there's a conflict between them, the Guild being unable to guarantee the mercenary's rights against the military will have no other choice but stop taking military's contracts and the mercenaries will move somewhere else to earn their keep. Had the Guild stopped taking escort jobs at just a single trade route, the military would have to use their slow, oversized ships to chase after small pirate speed boats which could flee right before the military appeared.
Hiro explains it plentifully in Ch. 16 (from page 11 onward).

That's why there's no need for an armed conflict between them. Both (Military and Guild / Serena and Hiro) are trying to keep up good relationships because they are relying on each other and especially Serena. Her fleet heavily relies on hiring small merc ships to chase after pirate ships and also on their expertise. If she forces Hiro into anything the guild calls unfair, her credibility with the guild will drop and mercenaries will be less likely to work for her.
In fact she very aggressively tries to scout Hiro from the beginning, but that is cut short when he repeatedly refuses her and in the end the guild intervenes (Ch. 15, P.15) so the only thing she can do is give him an offer he can't refuse.
She also cannot really force him to tell her how to defeat anyone (It'd be like forcing a small cola company to reveal their recipe for free to be copied). That's why instead she here scouts him as an advisor paying him just for his knowledge alone. The reason why he tells her all that info in Ch.56.2 is because he calculated the risks and it's better to have her owe him (or at least to upkeep good relations) rather than – knowing her character – let her probe him endlessly.

As I already explained, this is a problem with the writing, not a justification. An organization like the guild will never realistically be on equal grounds with an empire that allows it to operate on it's terrotory. Yes, they may work together based on some understanding as long as the empire finds it convenient. The moment that changes, they are done for there. They know it too, since in the end mercenaries work for money so if the Empire wanted to, they'd poach most of them into their own structures, since they can both offer better conditions AND ban the guild from operating within their boarders, which would force any who do not want to sign up to emigrate, possibly to nations that they've wronged in the past via their activity as mercs. The MC might be ok with that, but you can bet many would not be. Since the guild knows this, they would be very careful about what and when to challenge the Empire on. They'd have to bo bonkers to do so in this case.

And as Hiro previously noticed, it isn't that difficult for mercenaries to earn their keep (Ch.2, P.17).
Here only in the novel it goes into more details:

Spoiler: Vol. 1, Ch. 2

I got to ask the police about commodity prices around the colony. Basic meals were about five Ener, going up to ten to fifteen if you wanted to get fancy. A liter of clean drinking water would cost you three Ener; anchorage fees for spaceships were 150 Ener for twenty-four hours. I guess you could say one Ener was roughly equivalent to one hundred yen or so, which meant that water was pretty pricey. Same with the anchorage fees; 15,000 yen a day was rough. But such were the costs of being in a colony. Air was included in those prices.
(...)
Assuming I slept in my ship, a day’s stay at this colony would mean three meals for fifteen Ener, four liters of water for twelve Ener, and anchoring for 150 Ener, for a total of 177 Ener."

Meaning a single combat with pirates can give even 15k Ener that can keep small sized mercenary fed for one or two months depending on his spending and assuming his ship doesn't require any immediate repairs or refilling any of the costly ammo (lasers are almost free, missiles more costly).

This only supports what I said. If the Empire takes away the guild as a source of income and simultanously creates their own with better pay, it's over - once that new organization gets settled in the guild would likely never be able to regain it's footing there, even if legal sanctions were lifted in the future.

Moreover You mentioned earlier that a real state would never let armed mercenaries just 'opt out' or ignore military orders. But historically that's how it went before modern conscription.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/mercenary

Spoiler: Employment of mercenaries could be politically dangerous

Employment of mercenaries could be politically dangerous as well as expensive, as in the case of the early 14th-century almogaváres, Spanish frontiersmen hired by the Byzantine Empire to fight the Turks. After helping defeat the enemy, the almogaváres turned on their patrons and attacked the Byzantine town of Magnesia (modern Alaşehir, Tur.). After the assassination of their leader they spent two years ravaging Thrace and then moved on to Macedonia.

Following the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), Europe was overrun with thousands of men who had been trained for nothing but fighting. During the 15th century “free companies” of Swiss, Italian, and German soldiers sold their services to various princes and dukes. These hired soldiers, often greedy, brutal, and undisciplined, were capable of deserting on the eve of battle, betraying their patrons, and plundering civilians. Much of their mutinous behaviour was the result of their employer’s unwillingness or inability to pay for their services. When rigid discipline, sustained by prompt payment, was enforced (as in the army of Maurice of Nassau), mercenaries could prove to be effective soldiers.

That's why they'd rather let them go than risk them willing to take a chance and upset the result of any key battle as a revenge for forcing upon them what they could call an unfair treatment. And that's why they're willing to pay extra to keep capable mercenaries like Hiro on their side. Also not every mercenary is imperial citizen, so those who aren't won't even have any attachment to the Empire at all.

That is NOT opting out. That is a betrayal of their clients and joining the other side. The difference is very important, since said other side would protect them from their former clients - had they just walked away they'd be quickly hunted down. Though in the case of Byzantium, which was on the edge of collapse by then, you could get away with a lot more either way. As for medieval Europe, companies deserting was rare and they could expect being hunted down. The low reliability of mercenaries came from the fact that they were loathe to fight as hard as the people conscripted from the region that hired them. They had nothing to protect other than their lives, after all. Anyway, this example is not what we were talking about, since it's not an opt-out, these mercs would be fighting in the war anyway, just a question of on which side.

On top of all that there's the matter of Serena's analysis. If they cannot trust their senior officer's analysis based on their scouting data in which they suffered casualties, they cannot trust anyone in the field. And she values Hiro's skills and knowledge greatly so she determines he's keeper rather than a one-time-use mercenary. Had she betrayed him, he'd cut the ties with her. So she monologues (Ch.58, P.3) or in the novel:

And later she goes on (Ch.59, P25) or in the novel:

So just saying that

does not change the fact they have no proof to discredit her analysis nor you and I have any right to judge it. They judged it and believed it themselves. And if they have no proof it's all bogus, taking into account her standing, she is not someone who should be interrogated so willy-nilly even if they have some suspicions. After all, you can assume her family is quite influential in noble society (due to high rank) and in the military as even her uncle is a military man (Ch.10.2, P.18). And that is why saying

is quite ridiculous. Even if they suspected she works with the space pirates they wouldn't be able to do anything just out of respect for her noble rank alone.

We've been thorough this. You're throwing in the kitchen sink here, but it makes little sense in context. She is not on trial (yet), so they don't need proof of anything. The point is, they have plenty of reasons to suspect (or even be convinced) that she's not being truthful with them, which should prompt their own investigation. Whether they decide to act more decisevely on it's results is another thing.

And that's what I mean that you can't ignore how politics or the economic system works. Because even if it is possible to frame some colonists that basically have no influence, no connections and no relatives it is not the same as with an extremely capable mercenary with a high rank being under protection of possibly galactic wide mercenary guild spanning across multiple stellar nations. A mercenary that is viewed as an person of interest by at least one, possibly even two noble houses.

So in the end, while I can see why the lack of typical foreshadowing bothers you, I don't view it as a flaw - it's just the author staying completely true to what Hiro can actually observe and learn for the sake of better immersion over omniscience which also leaves more room for discussion about what will happen next.

But that's the point. The system as shown here does not work. It's an "informed" structure, existing only as a facade. No actual political power would even blink at screwing over an "extremely capable mercenary with a high rank" if they suspected valuable knowledge can be obtained from him and he isn't willing to cooperate. No actual client organisation like the guild, no matter how "galactic" would risk losing a big chunk of it's market, staff and overall influence to shield such a mercenary from their scrutiny. You can see RL megacorps bow down to much less potential consequences over more costly demands, if the states in question put their foot down (like the EU tends to). It's PURE vide game logic to think it would ever work otherwise.

 

[tonie]

They know it too, since in the end mercenaries work for money so if the Empire wanted to, they'd poach most of them into their own structures, since they can both offer better conditions AND ban the guild from operating within their boarders, which would force any who do not want to sign up to emigrate

Yes, they actually already do poach them. And the result is self evident.
As a first-class warrant officer their pay is around 4'000 Ener a month. Also they have to:

• Abide military discipline.
• Risk to their life may be smaller in bigger fleet, but still present.
• Being tied to a single country.

Meanwhile let's take a look at the twin mechanics earned 3'700 Ener a month, while they had:

• Cozy life as ship mechanics on a relatively safe colony.
• Could drink and use their money whenever and however they wanted.

And the mercenaries earn even more! Wow the military officer is such a great job, even Serena considered switching to mercenary lifestyle. Such a great job! Also before you say "They don't have to stop being mercenaries."

If the Empire takes away the guild as a source of income and simultanously creates their own with better pay, it's over

Yeah, if you open a grocery store next to a super-market, you're definitely gonna bankrupt them with your own might!
You'll truly show how powerful you can be. But trust is worth more than any money in their business, if they can't trust their employer, there won't be much interest and in the meantime the Empire will have to swallow the economic instability, while the individual nobles and corporations will still rely on the mercenary guild, with the exception that their pay will have to increase.

AND ban the guild from operating within their boarders

That will only make the economy flip upside down in the first week since their ban is introduced.

Besides there's also a different problem. There's plenty military officers who hate marcenaries.
The mercenaries are fine as they are, but because they are a rough bunch, they won't fit in the military discipline.
There's also rumors that if they slip during fleet operation, they get thrown in prison. It is mentioned in Ch.8.1, P.15. although this translation is slightly incorrect. And those rumors are already affecting Serena even with the guild being independent and trying to help and defend the mercenaries.

The point is, they have plenty of reasons to suspect (or even be convinced) that she's not being truthful with them, which should prompt their own investigation

And I said to list those reasons and no "because she lied" is not a valid reason to start an investigation. When you talk to somebody and he tells you a lie you don't see their inner monologue whether it's a lie or not, especially during a video call.

if they suspected valuable knowledge can be obtained from him

IF.
Yes, IF. Show me a single instance where they are suspecting that. And if you want to say "If they investigate Serena, they will start suspecting him" then prove me first how they can and why would they investigate Serena when they can't even have a reason to be suspicious of her.

No actual client organisation like the guild, no matter how "galactic" would risk losing a big chunk of it's market

Yes, maybe. But there's something you ignore. No stupid organizations would do that. A lot of modern corporations previously used to uphold their principles that gained them trust. The moment they start betraying those principles they are being criticized for them.

• Sony for not including physical discs
• Google "Don't be evil"
• Volkswagen "Dieselgate"
• Facebook or Meta

Yes, people still use those. But if using those came at a risk that they be jailed or die there quickly would be a major change, especially since mercenaries are high earners and they could easily start their own new guild that could quickly put the former out of business.
Also those changes in the principles mostly origin from new directors, meanwhile the heads of local branches are probably always retired mercenaries that prefer to protect their own people whenever possible.
In case you say "But I just told you it is impossible for them to protect them."
I say it is possible to protect mercenaries.

Because you forget that the mercenary guild is not just some mega corporation or some random organisation. It's basically private security. In a universe where military and police is the same, on the outside you have enemies that can invade at any moment and on the inside swarms of pirates filling your own space.

The Empire would have to face

• Increased upkeep for the fleet (The currently winning doctrine is big ships, huge firepower, long range. Small are more common among mercenaries that's why they're saving money on recruiting occasionally).
• Increased costs to train military and administrative personnel
• Having to set up an organization from the scratch that can replace the guild.
• Fight the negative image they have among some mercenaries already.
• Need to police the ex-mercenaries who disgruntled may cause more ruckus than normally.
• Focus in internal threats instead of external which are more pressing.
• Bear the costs of coming changes, the dissatisfaction of corporations, simple merchants, common people, mercenaries and finally nobles.

Meanwhile mercenaries provide the opposite

• They train by themselves or each other with no cost to the Empire (heck they even profit from it).
• Administration is minimal due to paying out rewards only and the guild handles most of it.
• Personnel comes on their own from all over galaxy for better treatment and money.
• Ship maintenance cost goes into negative (Colonies earn from mercenaries paying for their own ships)
• Discipline? Doesn't really matter. Just restrict them to lowest districts and if they break the law - jail them.

So getting rid of mercenary guild is not cost effective.
Also, about the knowledge they could gain: Please tell me how they would know from the beginning till the end.

That is NOT opting out. That is a betrayal of their clients and joining the other side.

PS: In case you did not understand - betrayal is a natural consequence of not offering to opt-out.

 

[finalm]

Yes, they actually already do poach them. And the result is self evident.
As a first-class warrant officer their pay is around 4'000 Ener a month. Also they have to:

• Abide military discipline.
• Risk to their life may be smaller in bigger fleet, but still present.
• Being tied to a single country.

Meanwhile let's take a look at the twin mechanics earned 3'700 Ener a month, while they had:

• Cozy life as ship mechanics on a relatively safe colony.
• Could drink and use their money whenever and however they wanted.

And the mercenaries earn even more! Wow the military officer is such a great job, even Serena considered switching to mercenary lifestyle. Such a great job! Also before you say "They don't have to stop being mercenaries."

I never said to make them regular soldiers or officers the whole point is to replace the guild with a similarily operating organisation that the state can control, if said guild were stupid enough to obstruct. You know this, since you referenced it in a lower part. Why construct a strawman here? To the point of comparing corporate engineers?

Yeah, if you open a grocery store next to a super-market, you're definitely gonna bankrupt them with your own might!
You'll truly show how powerful you can be. But trust is worth more than any money in their business, if they can't trust their employer, there won't be much interest and in the meantime the Empire will have to swallow the economic instability, while the individual nobles and corporations will still rely on the mercenary guild, with the exception that their pay will have to increase.

And you think the Empire is the grocery store in this equation? I honestly don't know what to say to this. Other than maybe repeating myself yet again: Pure. Video. Game. Logic. This is becoming a pattern, I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm increasingly having trouble taking you seriously with these sorts of arguments. I mean, what are you even thinking? Not to mention being all smug about such a dumb point... What the fuck, bro?

As for trust, why would a state-run organization have significantly less of it than whatever the guild enjoys? I repeat, it's a rudimentary relationship between a freelancer and his middleman. If the middleman pays on time and does not set him up, trust, as far as it goes in any profession is present. Otherwise it isn't. What are you expecting from a bunch of self-employed guns for hire? Some sort of code of ethics of exceptional camaraderie?

That will only make the economy flip upside down in the first week since their ban is introduced.

I understand that you assume they'd first ban the guild and then get to work on that alternative structure. That's not a very sensible assumption to make.

Besides there's also a different problem. There's plenty military officers who hate marcenaries.
The mercenaries are fine as they are, but because they are a rough bunch, they won't fit in the military discipline.
There's also rumors that if they slip during fleet operation, they get thrown in prison. It is mentioned in Ch.8.1, P.15. although this translation is slightly incorrect. And those rumors are already affecting Serena even with the guild being independent and trying to help and defend the mercenaries.

So what? They somehow work with them now, even if they don't enjoy it. Why would that change with a state-run guild? Nothing changes from the rank and file's perspective here.

And I said to list those reasons and no "because she lied" is not a valid reason to start an investigation. When you talk to somebody and he tells you a lie you don't see their inner monologue whether it's a lie or not, especially during a video call.

I already repeated myself several times on this topic, are you trying to wear out my patience here or what? For the last time: she makes a report, conveys information that she shouldn't have. Makes up vague excuses about it being from scouting, analyzing or whatever crap that can't hold up if pressed about it. It's already apparent she's hiding something, but it gets better: now the ridiculous crap happens, stuff like a single merc ship destroying an object the size of a planetoid, even though the fleet couldn't or an alien invasion out of nowhere, in the middle of a military operation and she glosses over it as if it was just another monday. No investigation to find out what happened, no detaining of the key figure in either incident. Truly, one needs to be telepathic to glean anything suspicious here...
[/QUOTE]

IF.
Yes, IF. Show me a single instance where they are suspecting that. And if you want to say "If they investigate Serena, they will start suspecting him" then prove me first how they can and why would they investigate Serena when they can't even have a reason to be suspicious of her.

The manga does not even show any of her higher ups at all, they might as well not exist here, so how can I point to anything that IS happening with them, by your reconing? I'm telling you what a sensibly written story would have included, the fact that this one does not is the whole point of my argument, which I already stated multiple times. Also, I keep telling you why she'd be suspected over and over and you continue to blatantly ignore it. It's really upsetting, to be honest.

Yes, maybe. But there's something you ignore. No stupid organizations would do that. A lot of modern corporations previously used to uphold their principles that gained them trust. The moment they start betraying those principles they are being criticized for them.

• Sony for not including physical discs
• Google "Don't be evil"
• Volkswagen "Dieselgate"
• Facebook or Meta

Yes, people still use those. But if using those came at a risk that they be jailed or die there quickly would be a major change, especially since mercenaries are high earners and they could easily start their own new guild that could quickly put the former out of business.
Also those changes in the principles mostly origin from new directors, meanwhile the heads of local branches are probably always retired mercenaries that prefer to protect their own people whenever possible.
In case you say "But I just told you it is impossible for them to protect them."
I say it is possible to protect mercenaries.

I don't get what you're trying to say here. The megacorps mentioned have always used the so called "trust" as tokens to be spent. They push the envelope when they think they can and try to lull potential clients until they mostly forget when they feel it gets out of hand. This has been the case since before the concept of the corporation existed. If you don't believe me, read up on what the older companies have been up to during WW2 and how they handled the later backlash. If you have a strong stomach, see the pharmaceutical ones. Long story short, there is not trust here beyond a cost-reward calculation. I've no idea what makes you think otherwise.

When was the last time branch directors of a large company made the parent company change course? I certainly can't think of even one example. Why would retired mercs even want to do that, beyond some outliers with a skewed view of their role? You're acting as if it's some family business where people care about each other, while it's a bloody business of killing people for cash and risking one's life in the process. Any retired merc who took up a position in such an organization did so because he's no longer interested in sticking his neck out and thus will not be bothered about others doing that instead of him. He's not going to risk said position for a guy that refuses to cooperate with one of his company's number one clients for some unexplained reason. It's a business, not some grassroots ideological initiative.

Because you forget that the mercenary guild is not just some mega corporation or some random organisation. It's basically private security. In a universe where military and police is the same, on the outside you have enemies that can invade at any moment and on the inside swarms of pirates filling your own space.

Private security is still just a company. Again, unless the guild has resources comparable to the Empire (which we already established to be PVGL), it's not going to have significant cards to play here. It's international status and connections to other countries only act to it's detriment, if the war situation is as tense as you claim. Who could afford to risk that they don't remain neutral or at least engage in some espionage to sell to the highest bidder? You can currently see something similar happening in the EU, American tech companies are being successively sanctioned and cut out from it's governmental structures, since Europe no longer feels the US can be trusted with that kind of access.

The Empire would have to face

• Increased upkeep for the fleet (The currently winning doctrine is big ships, huge firepower, long range. Small are more common among mercenaries that's why they're saving money on recruiting occasionally).
• Increased costs to train military and administrative personnel
• Having to set up an organization from the scratch that can replace the guild.
• Fight the negative image they have among some mercenaries already.
• Need to police the ex-mercenaries who disgruntled may cause more ruckus than normally.
• Focus in internal threats instead of external which are more pressing.
• Bear the costs of coming changes, the dissatisfaction of corporations, simple merchants, common people, mercenaries and finally nobles.

Meanwhile mercenaries provide the opposite

• They train by themselves or each other with no cost to the Empire (heck they even profit from it).
• Administration is minimal due to paying out rewards only and the guild handles most of it.
• Personnel comes on their own from all over galaxy for better treatment and money.
• Ship maintenance cost goes into negative (Colonies earn from mercenaries paying for their own ships)
• Discipline? Doesn't really matter. Just restrict them to lowest districts and if they break the law - jail them.

So getting rid of mercenary guild is not cost effective.

Cost effectiveness is just one part of the question. If that were not the case, the thing I mentioned in the EU would have never happened. They too need to heavily invest in both their tech and defense sectors to make this reality and they are. Relying on the US for all of this was an easy, cheap and convenient alternative for decades, until it suddenly wasn't. Also, it is more cost effective to have your own solutions for all of this in the long run and it comes with fringe benefits, the like of which the US enjoyed a bit too much.

Also, about the knowledge they could gain: Please tell me how they would know from the beginning till the end.

What? No idea what you're asking...

PS: In case you did not understand - betrayal is a natural consequence of not offering to opt-out.

Not even remotely on topic.

 

[tonie]

wtf is going on with the comment, can't fix it, can't delete it eh gonna write anew... wait that's actually... I get it, the [/QUOTE] broke the formatting in replies oh well.

 

[tonie]

wtf is going on with the comment, can't fix it, can't delete it eh gonna write anew...

 

[tonie]

I never said to make them regular soldiers or officers the whole point is to replace the guild with a similarily operating organisation that the state can control, if said guild were stupid enough to obstruct. You know this, since you referenced it in a lower part. Why construct a strawman here? To the point of comparing corporate engineers?


And you think the Empire is the grocery store in this equation? I honestly don't know what to say to this. Other than maybe repeating myself yet again: Pure. Video. Game. Logic. This is becoming a pattern, I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm increasingly having trouble taking you seriously with these sorts of arguments. I mean, what are you even thinking? Not to mention being all smug about such a dumb point... What the fuck, bro?

As for trust, why would a state-run organization have significantly less of it than whatever the guild enjoys? I repeat, it's a rudimentary relationship between a freelancer and his middleman. If the middleman pays on time and does not set him up, trust, as far as it goes in any profession is present. Otherwise it isn't. What are you expecting from a bunch of self-employed guns for hire? Some sort of code of ethics of exceptional camaraderie?


I understand that you assume they'd first ban the guild and then get to work on that alternative structure. That's not a very sensible assumption to make.


So what? They somehow work with them now, even if they don't enjoy it. Why would that change with a state-run guild? Nothing changes from the rank and file's perspective here.


I already repeated myself several times on this topic, are you trying to wear out my patience here or what? For the last time: she makes a report, conveys information that she shouldn't have. Makes up vague excuses about it being from scouting, analyzing or whatever crap that can't hold up if pressed about it. It's already apparent she's hiding something, but it gets better: now the ridiculous crap happens, stuff like a single merc ship destroying an object the size of a planetoid, even though the fleet couldn't or an alien invasion out of nowhere, in the middle of a military operation and she glosses over it as if it was just another monday. No investigation to find out what happened, no detaining of the key figure in either incident. Truly, one needs to be telepathic to glean anything suspicious here...


The manga does not even show any of her higher ups at all, they might as well not exist here, so how can I point to anything that IS happening with them, by your reconing? I'm telling you what a sensibly written story would have included, the fact that this one does not is the whole point of my argument, which I already stated multiple times. Also, I keep telling you why she'd be suspected over and over and you continue to blatantly ignore it. It's really upsetting, to be honest.


I don't get what you're trying to say here. The megacorps mentioned have always used the so called "trust" as tokens to be spent. They push the envelope when they think they can and try to lull potential clients until they mostly forget when they feel it gets out of hand. This has been the case since before the concept of the corporation existed. If you don't believe me, read up on what the older companies have been up to during WW2 and how they handled the later backlash. If you have a strong stomach, see the pharmaceutical ones. Long story short, there is not trust here beyond a cost-reward calculation. I've no idea what makes you think otherwise.


I don't get what you're trying to say here. The megacorps mentioned have always used the so called "trust" as tokens to be spent. They push the envelope when they think they can and try to lull potential clients until they mostly forget when they feel it gets out of hand. This has been the case since before the concept of the corporation existed. If you don't believe me, read up on what the older companies have been up to during WW2 and how they handled the later backlash. If you have a strong stomach, see the pharmaceutical ones. Long story short, there is not trust here beyond a cost-reward calculation. I've no idea what makes you think otherwise.


When was the last time branch directors of a large company made the parent company change course? I certainly can't think of even one example. Why would retired mercs even want to do that, beyond some outliers with a skewed view of their role? You're acting as if it's some family business where people care about each other, while it's a bloody business of killing people for cash and risking one's life in the process. Any retired merc who took up a position in such an organization did so because he's no longer interested in sticking his neck out and thus will not be bothered about others doing that instead of him. He's not going to risk said position for a guy that refuses to cooperate with one of his company's number one clients for some unexplained reason. It's a business, not some grassroots ideological initiative.


Private security is still just a company. Again, unless the guild has resources comparable to the Empire (which we already established to be PVGL), it's not going to have significant cards to play here. It's international status and connections to other countries only act to it's detriment, if the war situation is as tense as you claim. Who could afford to risk that they don't remain neutral or at least engage in some espionage to sell to the highest bidder? You can currently see something similar happening in the EU, American tech companies are being successively sanctioned and cut out from it's governmental structures, since Europe no longer feels the US can be trusted with that kind of access.


Cost effectiveness is just one part of the question. If that were not the case, the thing I mentioned in the EU would have never happened. They too need to heavily invest in both their tech and defense sectors to make this reality and they are. Relying on the US for all of this was an easy, cheap and convenient alternative for decades, until it suddenly wasn't. Also, it is more cost effective to have your own solutions for all of this in the long run and it comes with fringe benefits, the like of which the US enjoyed a bit too much.


What? No idea what you're asking...


Not even remotely on topic.

I agree the Empire should build their own mercenary guild or at least boost their own piracy suppression. Perhaps the bounty rewards program is a good starting point to expand into their own guild, but as you said they are not at the point where they can do so and ignore the guild immediately (And I pointed banning the guild immediately it to portray it as too foolish to enact and not my assumption). The trust issue stems from rumors about how easy it is to go to jail if they slip during an operation and from fleet officers' general disdain towards the mercenaries. The Empire acting against the guild doesn't really help build trust in the Empire, either. So if they wouldn't join the Empire's guild, they could consider leaving the Empire. And if they were forced to join a military force, it could be safer to earn their keep finding a cozy job at some colony instead since military officers are not paid enough of a premium to justify risking their lives. Either way, they won't be able to integrate the old guild into their structures in its entirety which may lead to damaging the economy. That goes into the cost of forcing Hiro to talk.

Also comparing planetary scale corporations to galactic wide mercenary organization ignores the reality of severe information lag. Before the top leaders of the guild decide it's not worth to shield Hiro, he will be able to run away before the Empire can actually act against him. Heck even the guild may just tell him to run just to avoid getting caught up in this. The guild has no obvious legal obligation to hand him over and borders aren't necessarily that protected.

Besides, battlefield insubordination does not equate to treason. The higher-ups could reasonably write his actions off simply as typical mercenary recklessness, glory-seeking and simply luck. History is full of cases where independent contractors ignored strict commands to chase a payday or to survive. Serena also says she wouldn't bother him just for that. After all, he confesses his final hit happened when he shot torpedo to force the crystal's attention to him, not to steal the kill. Since the high-risk gamble paid off, the Empire has little reason to complain. They got exactly what they hired him for: a mercenary whose skill and bravery could turn the tide of a battle.

Furthermore, any investigation into Serena's tactical analysis first would have to prove she obscured her source. But if she successfully slipped Hiro's information into the scouting fleet's official report and it contains the information that she shouldn't have, the trail cuts off from Hiro. The military brass would have no obvious reason to assume it's fake nor that it originates from Hiro. And even if they somehow traced the information back to Hiro and suspected he had some secret, strategic knowledge; that still doesn't mean his knowledge may prove worth violating the guild's rights to protect their mercenaries and if they cause too much ruckus, he may just simply run away so they will have to calculate costs, risks and potential gains carefully.

Finally it is still yet to be seen whether or not there is an investigation. Knowing the story is from Hiro's perspective it would be surprising to have him learn of it before the Empire has got him cornered and the story is not yet over.

 

[finalm]

I agree the Empire should build their own mercenary guild or at least boost their own piracy suppression. Perhaps the bounty rewards program is a good starting point to expand into their own guild, but as you said they are not at the point where they can do so and ignore the guild immediately (And I pointed banning the guild immediately it to portray it as too foolish to enact and not my assumption). The trust issue stems from rumors about how easy it is to go to jail if they slip during an operation and from fleet officers' general disdain towards the mercenaries. The Empire acting against the guild doesn't really help build trust in the Empire, either. So if they wouldn't join the Empire's guild, they could consider leaving the Empire. And if they were forced to join a military force, it could be safer to earn their keep finding a cozy job at some colony instead since military officers are not paid enough of a premium to justify risking their lives. Either way, they won't be able to integrate the old guild into their structures in its entirety which may lead to damaging the economy. That goes into the cost of forcing Hiro to talk.

Whether or not they should is not my argument. I'm just saying they could replace them entirely and the guild must know this. Obviously there would be costs to this therefore, all the guild's decisions must be made with the calculation not to piss them off enough for those costs to start to look nice. Challenging them on some things might not yield immediate consequences, but each time lays down a brick for the gallows they would eventually be hanged from. Hence one has to be economical with those bricks and willing to compromise in other areas, so they don't pile on faster than you can remove them. So again, why settle for a brick (assuming that's all it amounts to) on account of a guy that show up out of nowhere, instantly ranks as gold (for which the only sensible explanation is that he has a background in another nation's military, or as a pirate) and makes waves everywhere he turns up? It's clear he's involved in something sketchy, rather than just being some poor merc that someone in power wants to persecute.

What is the "trust" you constantly refer to? You seem to be saying the guild is trusted, while the Empire isn't, but that makes no real sense in cotext. Why would mercs trust one middle man, but not another, whom they work with in a similar capacity all the time, to boot? The only way for that to make sense is for the Empire specifically to have a horrible track record at treating mercenaries well, but that's not the case, since they still readily take jobs from them.

Also comparing planetary scale corporations to galactic wide mercenary organization ignores the reality of severe information lag. Before the top leaders of the guild decide it's not worth to shield Hiro, he will be able to run away before the Empire can actually act against him. Heck even the guild may just tell him to run just to avoid getting caught up in this. The guild has no obvious legal obligation to hand him over and borders aren't necessarily that protected.

Whether he'd run or not is not the topic here, but fine, let him run. That's another ally down the drain in addition to having the Empire persuing him. For nothing. If he's consistent, he'll soon be running from the Federation and all other regional powers as well. That might actually be interesting, if not for the dumb reason.

Besides, battlefield insubordination does not equate to treason. The higher-ups could reasonably write his actions off simply as typical mercenary recklessness, glory-seeking and simply luck. History is full of cases where independent contractors ignored strict commands to chase a payday or to survive. Serena also says she wouldn't bother him just for that. After all, he confesses his final hit happened when he shot torpedo to force the crystal's attention to him, not to steal the kill. Since the high-risk gamble paid off, the Empire has little reason to complain. They got exactly what they hired him for: a mercenary whose skill and bravery could turn the tide of a battle.

No bro, I've been telling you that the notion of a reckless, gung-ho mercenary that plays by his own rules while being part of an army is just fiction, pretty low-brow one at that. There are no RL examples of that without punishment following suit, unless they run of course. This is the kind of stuff that makes spectacular failures out of military operations, of course no one would tolerate it, even if it happens to work out that time. It undermines the core of what an army is supposed to be. RL mercenaries tend to be former soldiers anyway, so they know what's expected of them. Even if the ones in this story mostly aren't, they'd still be assigned to a commanding officer that would coordinate their movements and be responsible for their actions. There is no way they just set them loose on their battlefieds and wait for the smoke to clear.

You're the only one hung up on treason in particular here. Treason has a very specific definition IRL, I'm assuming it should have it there as well. Arguing whether Serena's conduct meets that definition is far too high a bar for things based mostly on assumptions of how the nation works. What is without doubt is that she has been disloyal towards the military leadership and her state. What kind offense that is and the punishment it entails is down to specifics we just don't have about their legal structure.

Furthermore, any investigation into Serena's tactical analysis first would have to prove she obscured her source. But if she successfully slipped Hiro's information into the scouting fleet's official report and it contains the information that she shouldn't have, the trail cuts off from Hiro. The military brass would have no obvious reason to assume it's fake nor that it originates from Hiro. And even if they somehow traced the information back to Hiro and suspected he had some secret, strategic knowledge; that still doesn't mean his knowledge may prove worth violating the guild's rights to protect their mercenaries and if they cause too much ruckus, he may just simply run away so they will have to calculate costs, risks and potential gains carefully.

What? How does that make sense in your head? It doesn't "cut off" anything, man. It just means the next one to interrogate and look into is the MC, full circle there. Of course, since there will be witnesses of her spending a lot of time and otherwise granting him a lot of unusual favour, she's not off the hook either, nor is the staff girl that has been accompanying her everywhere or other personnel she works with. It's a paper-thin intrigue, bro. Real investigators would untangle this little web within a few weeks of interviews with various people.

Your train of though here basically boils down to "But it's such a pain to investigate! What if this, or that and how do we know it's worth it?" Unfortunately real organizations do not think like that. They investigate first and then decide if doing anything about it is worth it.

Finally it is still yet to be seen whether or not there is an investigation. Knowing the story is from Hiro's perspective it would be surprising to have him learn of it before the Empire has got him cornered and the story is not yet over.

The first thing they'd do is try to keep him within arms reach while they look into it, perhaps amicably at first: like having him take another vacation, this time on a planet they control, so neither he can easily run nor any other intelligence service easily get to him. If he refused to cooperate no matter what, then they'd detain him. Has that happened in the novel? I suspect not. In fact, I'm willing to bet he left their territory without issue further on, which already means that nothing of the like is going on...