History Main / PrivateMilitaryContractors

* ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'':
** The Veteran Combat Initiative. They can end up as your allies or your enemies — or one and later the other — depending on your choices. They're mostly evil though, being comprised of dishonorably discharged veterans.
** The main plot of the game involves a PMC named Halbech, which [[spoiler:is behind the game's [[TheConspiracy conspiracy]]]].

* ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'' has several with the player working for Grifon & Kryuger Security Firm and fighting against the rouge forces of Sangvis Ferri Industrial Manufacturing Company, Ltd. However, both companies have few (in SF's case) no human commanders and workers. Most of the heavy lifting is handled by Tactical-Dolls, [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Autonomous Dolls]] reprogrammed from their civilian versions to serve as [[RobotSoldier soldiers]]. One such T-Doll is Springfield, who are both domestic servants/housewives in the civilian sector and riflemen for [=GnK=], using [[BreakOutTheMuseumPiece Springfield bolt-action rifles]].

* After the timeskip in ''Manga/OnePiece'', the Buggy Pirates become this when Buggy, the captain, becomes a Warlord of the Sea. [[spoiler:Until after Reverie Arc, of course]].

%% Please add proper context before uncommenting them -- a good example should explain *how* it's an example.

In the real world, they are usually ex-soldiers with decent to slightly-above-average equipment from the United States -- the largest company, and largest number of companies, are American. Other common national backgrounds are former Soviet Republics or South Africa. Of course, there are plenty of less professional and less affluent outfits out there, some of which will hire just about anyone who'll take them up on their offer. [[WarForFunAndProfit It's a great summer job!]] In fiction, though, they tend to get all the latest and most expensive vehicles and support equipment as well, and are often recruited and trained by the company itself. Fictional mercenary groups often hire unique individuals or groups of various special types of fighters: {{ninja}}, {{ronin}} {{samurai}}, dishonored [[KnightInShiningArmor knights]], [[FunctionalMagic mages]], [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]], and [[TheRemnant left-over warriors of defeated organizations, nations, or races]] that need to make ends meet. Some [=PMCs=] are just a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, others have their own AdventureGuild.

In stark contrast, the "''corporate mercenary''" is usually just a {{Mook}} or RedShirt of some kind, and the "character" takes the form of the PMC corporation itself. Corporate mercs are usually depicted as being up to no good, or are the hand-puppets of some shadowy organization which is itself up to no good. They are portrayed -- when anything more than FacelessGoons -- as amoral, ethically challenged, and professional but [[MyMasterRightOrWrong hardly ever inclined to argue with Corporate Headquarters]]. If former military, many will have been dishonorably discharged. Unless the writer's bent on defying WhatMeasureIsAMook, they will almost never be the "good guys" in recent years. Their parent company usually has a name based loosely or thematically on "Blackwater" in a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed {{Expy}} of that real-life PMC -- examples include [[Series/KnightRider "Blackriver"]], [[Comicbook/TheBoys "Red River"]], [[Series/TheUnit "Blackthorne"]], [[VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist "Murky]][[VideoGame/{{PAYDAY2}} water"]], [[Series/TwentyFour "Starkwood"]], [[VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution "Bluewater"]], [[Series/TrueDetective "Black Mountain"]], [[Series/PersonOfInterest "Silverpool"]], and [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV "Merryweather"]].

Private military contractors are the way that [[LoopholeAbuse some people]] [[RulesLawyer try to weasel out]] of this ban on mercenaries. Even though the largest of these companies employ materiel that is ordinarily associated purely with the military -- armor, helicopters, light warships -- ''on paper'', they are just your garden-variety mall guards writ large, and they are not authorized to wage war on their own. Officially, these units may be employed only in some duties not involving actively engaging the enemy (though they can do this if forced), such as escorting convoys and guarding some civilian structures. In practice this mandate could be, and often is interpreted ''very'' broadly -- "While you're on patrol, don't go and get into a fight with the insurgents at yonder hill three klicks to the southwest, but if they fire first, or if you see anything indicating a possible threat, then by all means, do whatever you must." Note that not all [=PMCs=] necessarily are thinly disguised mercenaries; a private military contractor is any non-government organization contracted by the military, which may include as mundane things as a contract to make and serve food for an army in peacetime.

RealLife [=PMCs=] run the gamut from dirty-working HiredGuns outfits to highly scrupled organizations with very strict rules about what they will and won't do, and for whom. Some [=PMCs=] provide armed security for Christian (and occasionally Muslim) charities in war-torn regions like Darfur (the contractors who do this kind of work often give their clients a discount rate--it's charity, after all). Others patrol African elephant habitats hunting heavily armed ivory poachers. Even those who take corporate contracts are much more likely to be doing "rent-a-cop" work making sure nobody blows up a pipeline than "massacre uncooperative village" jobs (although that does sometimes happen). Some [=PMCs=] are good people doing good work for good reasons (and making a living doing it). Others are willing to work for drug cartels. It is a very large and diverse category that probably shouldn't be painted with a broad brush, good or bad.

* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': Hunters serve as this, although the Hunters Association is a loose guild -- hunters take their own jobs, and the Guild provides contacts and perks.

** ''Fanfic/EquestriaDivided'': [[OneNationUnderCopyright House Whitegold]] doesn't have an army like the other factions; rather, most of its forces are composed of mercenaries of various species -- chiefly ponies, griffons, diamond dogs and zebras.

* ''Fanfic/RoanapurConnection'': What the Golden Company are shown to be in Eye of the Storm, though they seem to run the mill of taking on security guard or low profile work for the most part since the Russia-EU war ended. Which Nathan and Ganabati seek to change. But they also are implied to have a vast history like the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Company White Company]] did in real life in fighting in many conflicts across European History, along other numerous RL merc groups if Ganabati’s pov is anything to go by. [[spoiler: They are heavily hinted to be PlausibleDeniability for the EU to operate in places they don't or can't be seen to have a hand in]].

* ''Film/BloodDiamond'' has Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio playing a former [[strike:Zimbabwean]] Rhodesian merc-turned-diamond smuggler, who works for a private contract army that has jumbo jets and MI-24 Hind gunships--a thinly disguised {{expy}} of Executive Outcomes,

* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' is a medieval version: a private military cohort, including a handful of wizards. At the start of the first novel, they become the new private army of a recently-[[SealedEvilInACan uncanned]] EvilSorceress - if you hadn't guessed, they're not an especially heroic bunch. [[GrayAndGrayMorality But then neither is anyone else in the setting]].

* ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'': The Silver Daggers started out as one of these during the [[SuccessionCrisis Time Of Troubles]]. They were so instrumental in ending the three-way civil war that later generations of kings were afraid that they might be used to overthrow them and put another king on the throne. The Silver Daggers' charter was guaranteed to last in perpetuity due to a boon posthumously granted to their original captain by Maryn I, so instead a law was passed banning all other mercenary units, and prohibiting the Silver Daggers from acting as a single unit ever again, forcing anyone who wanted a mercenary army to hire them one or two at a time -- assuming that they could find enough of the now scattered soldiers of fortune to make it worth the effort.

* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'': There's a well-organized Mercenaries' Guild that regulates the profession. While non-Guild mercs tend to be the worst of the stereotype, bonded, licensed companies are consummate professionals. They also get fairly sympathetic treatment by the narrative -- most sellswords aren't {{Blood Knight}}s fighting for the thrill or White Knights fighting for a cause; they just have no other way to [[FightingForAHomeland scrape together enough money to buy a farm somewhere]] and settle down.

* In ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' a few of the bandits start out their working lives as this, until things go south. For example, Vorsha worked as a mercenary -- until her employer decided that outlawing her company on trumped-up charges beat paying them. And, if Herad plays her cards right, her band could well function as a decidedly murky company of these, too. She's already made one or two shady deals with lords which lean in this direction.

* ''Literature/TheRegiment'' is made up of the T'swa, troops who didn't really care whether they win or lose -- what's important is "playing" war skillfully. Since they consider reincarnation a proven fact and thus also don't care if they die, T'swa are very effective soldiers. They're '''not''' motivated by money: advanced psychological placement assigns those children best suited for military training, just as it does for all other facets of T'swa society.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': Present but not particularly common. Most mercenaries are pirates turned privateer for a little legitimacy and extra cash, and they're usually pretty poorly equipped -- mercenary fighter squadrons in particular are known for using "Uglies", mashup starfighters cobbled together from different fighters.

** On the other hand, the (second founding) Band of the Red Hand, while loosely associated with the Dragon Reborn, has spent the majority of its existence effectively taking mercenary work so they could keep paying the soldiers' wages while their leader was absent. They're played sympathetically, contain a reasonable fraction of the MauveShirt characters of the series, and besides a bit of lovable roguery, are among the most professional military organizations in the world - and damn proud of it!

** Mr. Dillinger--Reese's predecessor as [[PersonWithTheClothing "The Man in the Suit"]] is former Blackwater. This is clearly done for RuleOfSymbolism as he is OnlyInItForTheMoney and tries to sell out Harold Finch.

* "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" by Music/WarrenZevon. Roland is a Norwegian mercenary hired to fight in the Congo Crisis of the 1960s. He is betrayed by a fellow mercenary and goes seeking revenge, [[{{Determinator}} despite being dead]]. It's them implied he goes on to become a spirit of conflict, following the major ideological wars across the world and in some cases inciting them ("Patty Hearst/heard the burst/of Roland's Thompson gun/and bought it"). Notably, David Lindell, the man who co-wrote the song with Zevon and inspired him to write it, was a former mercenary.

* ''TabletopGame/Cyberpunk2020'': This is the meat of the game. The most conspicuous [=PMCs=] are Arasaka and Militech, two of the largest corporations of the game's setting, and the Lazarus Group -- featured on a splatbook and that is a full-fledged large private army.

*** The Dogs of War are an entire army of mercenaries who mostly hail from Tilea, [[FantasyCounterpartCulture the setting's analogue]] of Renaissance Italy and the Condottieri. More individualistic examples are the Regiments of Renown, legendary mercenaries with interesting special rules that can be attached to other army lists. They come with various individual quirks, such as the Birdmen of Catrazza, who fly into battle on leather wing-harnesses; Tichi-Huichi's Raiders, raptor-riding skinks who only fight for those who can pay with the golden tablets of the Old Ones; Asarnil the Dragonlord, an exiled elven noble who dreams of returning home laden with gold and glory; and Long Drong's Slayer Pirates, dwarfen corsairs who specialize in retrieving other companies' pay chests and stealing the enemy's. They're ''extremely'' pay-motivated -- they use their pay chests as battle standards, and will rout if these are lost.

*** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orks]] and [[SpaceElves Aeldari]] have bands of [[SpacePirates Freebooterz and Corsairs]], respectively, that occasionally hire themselves out to clients - which sometimes include Imperial nobles, or even TabletopGame/{{Inquisitor}}s, who want some plausible deniability. Some [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Drukhari]] bands make the same offer, [[FateWorseThanDeath which most of their customers regret later]].

* The ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'' has Blackfire, a PMC that's well-connected and clued in to the nature of the supernatural. Whether they're upstanding or bastards depends entirely on the Storyteller, though the sample adventure that comes with them implies that they're not entirely on the up-and-up -- mainly because one of the three heads of the company got possessed by a fragment of an [[EldritchAbomination ancient spirit]] that desperately wants out of its current prison.

** The player characters are "Shadowrunners" -- mercenaries assembled on-demand like a RagtagBunchOfMisfits in as [[TheCaper heist flick]]. Of course there's nothing stopping the DM from ''making'' a PMC for the players to join, and indeed many shadowrunners incorporate their teams, becoming small [=PMCs=].

** Seattle's law enforcement has been [[LawEnforcementInc contracted out]] to the megacorp Lone Star Security Services since 2023 - when the Mayor of Seattle's response to a police strike was to hire contractors and ''dissolve his police force.''
** More conventional [=PMCs=] do exist in the game's backstory -- the most prominent are [=MET2000=], Tsunami, 10,000 Daggers and Combat Inc.

** The Veteran Combat Initiative. They can end up as your allies or your enemies -- or one and later the other -- depending on your choices. They're mostly evil though, being comprised of dishonorably discharged veterans.

** The big reveal in ''Private Military Company'' is that [[spoiler:a certain unspecified government contacted ION, Inc., directly or through Vrana, and wanted Chinese involvement in Takistan's nuclear program covered up]], and whether or not he himself or ION/Vrana were paid off, field leader Mark Reynolds is onboard with that even if it means [[spoiler:squelching out on the protection contract with the UN weapons inspection team]]. The player can choose to [[spoiler:fight their way through pro-Reynolds ION contractors to gun down Reynolds and expose the nuclear program and the attempted cover up]], but the canonical ending was that [[spoiler:the player and Henry Asano joined Reynolds in killing off the UN weapons inspectors -- along with any ION contractors not already in on the plan -- and successfully covered up the whole thing]], with the player character getting [[spoiler:a hefty bonus and moving up to ION Head of Operations]] by the time of ''Take On Helicopters''.

* ''{{VideoGame/inFAMOUS 2}}'' features Vermaak 88, a [[AmoralAfrikaner South African PMC]]; by the time the game starts, news reports mention they're the largest and most lucrative private army in the world. [[BigBad Joseph]] [[CorruptHick Bertrand]] hires out an entire unit of Vermaak 88 mercenaries to come work in New Marais, but this is actually a front to use these men as guinea pigs for a lab experiment -- he uses a [[PowerCopying power transfer machine]] on Lucy Kuo (a kidnapped [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Conduit]]) to grant Kuo's [[AnIcePerson ice powers]] to the Vermaak soldiers. Bertrand then intends to sell the [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity now completely insane]] and {{superpowered|Mooks}} [[{{supersoldier}} mercenaries]] as weapons of war to various dictators and warlords around the world, ultimately hoping to inspire [[FantasticRacism fear and hatred of Conduits]] on a global scale.

* ''VideoGame/{{MAG}}'' focuses on an all-out war between three mega-[=PMCs=] (each of which have replaced government armies - they've been downgraded to little more than a glorified National Guard). In a decidedly odd subversion of the "not allowed to make war" deal, the [=PMCs=] are specifically fighting each other to prove that their group is more capable of defending the objective...from other [=PMCs=] (technically, the concern is terrorists, but the [=PMCs=] are the most frequent attackers). In other words, the [=PMCs=] are fighting and causing damage to the very things they're being hired to protect, so that they can be hired to protect it.

* ''VideoGame/PandoraFirstContact'': The Imperium -- formerly Empire Management -- is a PMC that has risen to MegaCorp levels thanks to its partnership with the [[MegaCorp Noxium Corporation]], known as the Ceres Cartel. After Noxium develops interstellar colony ships, Admiral Heid, the leader of Imperium, dissolves the partnership and absconds with the first ship, intent on getting to the newly-discovered habitable world in order to keep Imperium involved in all of humanity's conflicts, wherever they may be. They are the {{Expy}} of ''SMAC''[='s=] Spartan Federation: strong military with poor economy and science.
* ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'': The Murkywater mercenaries, inspired by the real life counterpart Blackwater, show up as enemies in one level. They're no more resilient than a SWAT unit, but they have better reaction time and accuracy. They become more prominent in ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'', featuring as enemies in more heists, including "Shadow Raid" where they're shown (or at least mentioned by Bain) to have a hand in a lot of dirty business - up to and including funding terrorists with drug money, and "Meltdown", where they have access to, of all things, [[spoiler:nuclear warheads]].

* ''VideoGame/VectorThrust'': Several "corporates" exist -- examples include APEX Solutions, a relatively small company focused mainly on logistics and aerial power, and Samson Strategic Services, one of the largest [=PMCs=] in the world offering a massive range of logistical, tactical and force application power to anybody capable of affording its services. Worth noting is that while some [=PMCs=] are depicted as the stereotypical {{Blood Knight}}s itching to make a profit by any means possible, there are just as many companies concerned with their ethical and social imagery in the public eye and maintain a strict sense of justice and discipline in their employees.

** "Sanctum Adroit" are much more Lawful-aligned than the Toughs; they've built a reputation on respecting the letter of the law in all their operations -- even the ''client'' has to beware if they catch them breaking the law.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': Spoofed in "[[Recap/TheBoondocksS3E3TheRedBall The Red Ball]]". [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ed Wuncler I]] hires a squad of mercenaries from Blackwater -- not for security purposes, but to use them to [[ItMakesSenseInContext fill up Woodcrest's local kickball team for an upcoming kickball game against a team from China]]. The Blackwater mercenaries (or "[[InsistentTerminology private kickball contractors]]", as they prefer to be called) are actually quite skilled at playing this sport. Unfortunately for Wuncler, the mercenaries quit because they're now busy with performing a special mission in Afghanistan.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Ron hires these guys in [[Recap/KimPossibleS2E28RonMillionaire Ron Millionaire]], when he becomes filthy rich. They're not particularly effective -- they fight the {{Red Shirt}}s, the guys that Kim takes by herself, and ''lose''.

* Another famous Renaissance-era group of mercenaries were the German Landsknechts, who were modeled after and considered the primary rivals of Swiss mercenaries. The Landsknechts used a combination of halberds and pikes, much like the Swiss, but also employed a comparatively larger number of early firearms and artillery. They were also famous for the ''zweihander'', [[{{BFS}} a sword that could be as long as six feet]] designed to be used like a halberd to fend off multiple enemies and to obstruct enemy pikes. They did not share the Swiss's scruples about fighting their countrymen - or for that matter, doing anything like protecting the papacy, since thousands of them became mutinous and sacked Rome in 1527 after they were not paid (which they did after killing [[LastStand the hopelessly-outnumbered Swiss Guard who stood behind to help the Pope flee to a nearby castle]]).

* Another famous example is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almogavars Almogavars]], infantry shock troops recruited all over the Iberian kingdoms with an origin in the Kingdom of Aragon who were feared for their ferocity and their BattleCry, "Awake, iron!", which they would shout as they struck their weapons with a piece of flint, making enormous sparks. A group of them led by Roger de Flor formed the Catalan Company, which was hired to help protect the Byzantine Empire, which they did with great success, but then their leaders were murdered by orders of the Emperor - which led to the Catalan Revenge, a two year long war of revenge and looting. The Almogavar survivors would later move to the Duchy of Athens, but after being denied their pay they went and conquered both the Duchies of Athens and Neopatras.

* Another famous example is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almogavars Almogavars]], infantry shock troops recruited all over the Iberian kingdoms with an origin in the Kingdom of Aragon who were feared for their ferocity and their WarCry, "Awake, iron!", which they would shout as they struck their weapons with a piece of flint, making enormous sparks. A group of them led by Roger de Flor formed the Catalan Company, which was hired to help protect the Byzantine Empire, which they did with great success, but then their leaders were murdered by orders of the Emperor - which led to the Catalan Revenge, a two year long war of revenge and looting. The Almogavar survivors would later move to the Duchy of Athens, but after being denied their pay they went and conquered both the Duchies of Athens and Neopatras.

** Other megacorporations, such as the [=InterGalactic=] Banking Clan, the Techno Union, the Corporate Alliance, and others have their own "security divisions" of battle droids, similar to the Trade Defense Force but more specialized. Their combined forces become the military of the Confederacy of Independent System, with their officers, such as Grievious, becoming the Separatist military leaders.

Another example that is much more common in RealLife but very rare in fiction[[note]]''The Washington Post'' estimates there are 1,931 private intelligence companies working for the US government, while actual [=PMCs=] can be counted on your fingers.[[/note]] are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_intelligence_agency Private Intelligence Agencies]]. This sector boomed after 9/11 so much that many functions that were once held by the likes of the UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} or the UsefulNotes/{{NSA}} are being outsourced to third-party contractors. To show how much power and importance they now have, Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of documents on the NSA's global surveillance program, was not a NSA agent but actually employed by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booz_Allen_Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton]].

A sub-trope of HiredGuns, and can overlap somewhat with the ProfessionalKiller. If employed by a MegaCorp, then CorporateWarfare can be expected. Commonly a favorite industry of a ProudWarriorRace.

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': It is safe to infer that many of these exist in Eostia, given how the remastered version notes that mercenary work is a booming business. Though, the only prominent one in the story is the Black Dogs, the most famous mercenary group in Eostia. With Vault as the leader, the Black Dogs have had a close partnership with the Seven Shields during the [[ForeverWar war]] against Olga's forces. They then decide to [[FaceHeelTurn go]] [[EtTuBrute rogue]] and [[WonTheWarLostThePeacestart another conflict]] to create a [[SexSlave Sex]] [[TheEmpire Empire]] after taking over the Black Fortress.

* ''Film/BillionDollarBrain'' has the protagonist Film/HarryPalmer recruited into the private intelligence version, which a fervant anti-Communist Texan billionaire is using to commit sabotage in Latvia. In a subversion, it only consists of a few criminals who are embezzeling his money.
* ''Film/BloodDiamond'' has Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio playing a former [[strike:Zimbabwean]] Rhodesian merc-turned-diamond smuggler, who works for a thinly disguised {{expy}} of Executive Outcomes, a private contract army that has jumbo jets and MI-24 Hind gunships.

* ''Film/BloodDiamond'' has Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio playing a former [[strike:Zimbabwean]] Rhodesian merc-turned-diamond smuggler, who works for a thinly disguised expy of Executive Outcomes, a private contract army that even has MI-24 Hind gunships.

* ''Film/BloodDiamond'' has plenty of mercenaries, with Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio playing a former [[strike:Zimbabwean]] Rhodesian merc-turned-diamond smuggler.

** Decima Technologies is a private intelligence agency who are introduced as a VillainOfTheWeek stealing secrets for the Chinese, but turn out to be an ArcVillain hoping to take control of [BenevolentAI The Machine]] (and later [[EvilCounterpart Samaritan]]). While at first this appears to be to corner the market in selling information, they actually want to establish a DeusEstMachina due to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans apparently ideological]] rather than profit motives.

%%* ''Literature/TheDogsOfWar''

* ''Literature/SoldiersOfBarrabas'': The titular company is ostensibly led by a mercenary who's "soft" on his native country, and so willingly seeks contracts that advance its interests. In truth they work directly for the US government as a [[HeroesRUs deniable dirty tricks team]].

* ''Literature/MarketForces'' is set in a world where {{Mega Corp}}s are in virtual control of everything, and the world's military and intelligence forces, from the SAS to the CIA, have been privatized. Another example of this trope is the Wedge in ''Broken Angels'', who are an elite company of interstellar mercenaries.

** There's a mercenary talent tree for the Saga Edition of the StarWars RPG.

Another example that is much more common in Main/RealLife but very rare in fiction[[note]]''The Washington Post'' estimates there are 1,931 private intelligence companies working for the US government, while actual [=PMCs=] can be counted on your fingers.[[/note]] are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_intelligence_agency Private Intelligence Agencies]]. This sector boomed after 9/11 so much that many functions that were once held by the likes of the UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} or the UsefulNotes/{{NSA}} are being outsourced to third-party contractors. To show how much power and importance they now have, Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of documents on the NSA's global surveillance program, was not a NSA agent but actually employed by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booz_Allen_Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton]].

* ''Series/{{Jericho}}'': During the first season, the PMC Ravenwood tries to loot the town of Jericho (and successfully raids the nearby towns of Rogue River and New Bern). In season 2, it is learned that they are a subsidiary of the BigBad, Jennings & Rall.

** ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'': A small army of primate [=PMCs=] is hired by Constable Neyla in the second Prague episode of.

Another example that is much common in Main/RealLife but very rare in fiction[[note]]''The Washington Post'' estimates there are 1,931 private intelligence companies working for the US government, while actual [=PMCs=] can be counted on your fingers.[[/note]] are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_intelligence_agency Private Intelligence Agencies]]. This sector boomed after 9/11 so much that many functions that were once held by the likes of the UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} or the UsefulNotes/{{NSA}} are being outsourced to third-party contractors. To show how much power and importance they now have, Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of documents on the NSA's global surveillance program, was not a NSA agent but actually employed by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booz_Allen_Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton]].

** Tagon's Toughs are one group in a universe full of them. Notable in that they have an InUniverse reputation as vaguely ethical semi-skilled suckers with milliseconds of genius who will gladly take almost anything if the money is good and are willing to let people get away with suckering them as long as they're paid well. In many cases this is actually their selling point; CrazyAwesome, HotBlooded, LowerClassLout[=s=] who are OnlyInItForTheMoney and will hit ''any'' AcceptableTargets you ask them to, NeverHurtAnInnocent, and put up with all manner of abuse as long as they get to choose their own deployment, armament and ''pay''ment.