Mercenary at heart. Scott Melani
transactions outside of settlements and gang warfare.
Again the system was invented, not without flaws, which the overwhelming number of the population accepted. Most of all, the town leaders and headmen wanted to put an end to wars and violence and concentrate on the mundane life of fixing and developing the economy of their towns and villages. On top of that, wars caused nothing but trouble.
All armies were disbanded. It was decided that henceforth, after the signing of the treaty, the settlements would have only a small number of well-armed police units with broad powers during their service. Its main task is to maintain order within the city and to enforce border control.
The population, as usual, pays town or village taxes into the municipal treasury. In return, the localities are obliged to provide basic social security in the form of education, medicine and emergency care. It is possible to choose one's social security plan depending on one's financial situation. Some preferred plans even have a number of significant benefits, such as auto and medical coverage. Contribution amounts are independent of paychecks. Each adult chooses for themselves and their children the plan they can afford. Payments are made on a monthly basis. It is similar to the payment for cell phone service. These tariffs are officially called "Life Support Cards" (LSC). In addition to the LSC, each citizen has a personal card that contains basic information about him/her.
There are four life support packages. The first one is mandatory for everyone. Below is a table describing the existing social security cards. The higher the status of the locality, the higher the monthly contributions, the lower it is, the correspondingly smaller they are.
The situation is exactly the same with salaries. A list of average salaries is given in the list below:
Cities with diamond status: 15000 Eurodollars/month.
Cities with platinum status: 10000 Eurodollars/month.
Gold cities: 7000 Eurodollars/month.
Silver cities: 5000 Eurodollars/month.
Cities with bronze status: 3000 eurodollars/month.
Villages from 30 thousand to 100 thousand: 1500 Eurodollars/month.
Villages from 1 thousand to 30 thousand: 700 Eurodollars/month.
Villages up to 1 thousand: 15000 eurodollars/month.
Let us understand at once why in elite settlements salaries are at the level of cities with diamond status. The fact is that people live there who are prepared to pay well only for the best of everything. The best cooks, security guards, trainers, beauty masters and even cleaners. The first three categories are hired only from diamond and platinum status cities. The last two are no lower than from silver status cities. How do you get a job like this? Only through an acquaintance or personal recommendation. You can't just pop in off the street. All staff is accommodated in special hotels on the territory of elite villages and undergoes a particularly thorough check for involvement in crime and connections with it. Employees are not allowed to leave. You live where you work. However, you will have to give up your family, as the residence does not apply to family members of servants. Only employees. Of course, there are cases when people keep their families and send most of their earnings to help their relatives. But this happens very rarely.
Things are quite different with mercenary salaries. They don't have a steady paycheck. They work from order to order. You work, you get paid. Some are self-employed, some work for organisations that provide this kind of service. And it's not necessarily related to crime. There are orders such as ‘serve, bring’. But on their fulfilment do not earn a lot. If you really want to get good money, then you need to take on the ‘black’ or ‘dirty orders’. They are 100% related to crime and illegal activities, as well as involve violence and cruelty. Such cases are carried out through intermediaries, which are just the mercenaries. For their fulfilment they are already paid very well, but it is extremely difficult to get such orders without the appropriate reputation. Since no one will want to deal with amateurs.
Intro
762. A dark-haired young man of twenty-four, dressed in a light jacket and jeans, stands on the edge of the roof of a fifteen-storey building. It offers a great view of the neighbouring outdoor football stadium nearby. The vaults and façade of the sports facility are brightly lit with lanterns. A major annual fight tournament is scheduled to take place, with some of Ounvilshen's top fighters scheduled to participate. On the artificial turf, in the middle of the field, a couple of metres above the ground, a ring has been erected for the future competition. Its flooring was square and dark blue in colour, and the ropes enclosing its perimeter were red. The stands were still half-empty, as the fans had only recently started to be launched. The guy was carefully watching what was happening in the stadium through his binoculars. With one hand he was occasionally tweaking a couple of wheels on it, responsible for adjusting the clarity and range of the image. On the roof, not far from him, was a large black bag with the necessary equipment for his mission.
Finally, the boy lowered the hand holding the binoculars and walked along the roof to the other end and looked down. He was no longer afraid of heights, as he had successfully overcome this phobia after a series of tests. Below was a small street with cars parked on the pavement and the edge of the metal roof over the entrance to the building. Pedestrians were darting along the pavement, going wherever they were going: home, from work, from school, to the shop, to the stadium, for a walk. The phone rang. The guy took it out of his jeans pocket and put it to his ear.
The voice in the receiver, ‘Michael, I'm here. How's it going in there? Are you ready?’
Michael: ‘Ready as I'll ever be.’
Voice on the phone: ‘Well, if this thing works out, you'll be able to live a quiet life. In addition, this may be our last assignment together.’
Michael: ‘Don't say that, Fred. I think we'll still have time to work together.’
The voice in the receiver: ‘Well, I wish you good luck, and may everything go well the first time. You understand me? We may not get another chance, so follow through and let's get this over with once and for all.’
Michael: ‘I heard you. Thank you. I'll do my best. If I don't come back, leave without me.’
The guy tucked the phone away in his pocket and, after another walk around and survey of the roof's perimeter, went back to his observation post and started looking for the person he needed in the stands.
Michael (out loud): ‘Where are you? Show yourself…’
Childhood and adolescence
The early years
738. On a late January evening, four men were relaxing in an Ounvilshen bar after a hard day's work. Among them was Michael's father George. He was socialising with his friends, drinking beer from a large glass mug. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Everyone was sharing their latest news and problems with the others. The mates listened to each other and supported each other. Finally, it was George's turn when all the problems and news of the others were sorted out.
Fred: ‘So, what's new with you?’
George: ‘Nothing in terms of work. Things are going pretty well, but not well enough to close the mortgage and feel secure in the full sense of the word.’
Buddy #1: ‘Ha ha, who here feels well-off? Look at you, finding the problem. You can never have too much money.’
George: ‘I mean, our expenses are about to multiply…’
Fred: ‘What do you mean?’
George: ‘Folks, I'm gonna be a daddy soon! That's what I want to drink to!’
Fred: ‘When?’
George: ‘The doctors said late February to mid-March.’
Fred: ‘Oh, you're so quiet! Let me give you a hug, Silver!’
Buddy #2: ‘What's it gonna be? A boy or a girl?’
George: ‘A boy.’
Buddy #1: ‘Have you thought about a name yet?’
George: ‘Yeah,