Skolexari Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters
8/24/26
Bounty hunters and mercenaries, whether solo or part of a group, are controlled, tracked, and registered with the Skolexari military.
Registration
It’s illegal for Skolexari or anyone within the Skolexari Empire to operate as a bounty hunter without being registered. To be registered, the Skolexari or citizen reports to the local military building for a physical and mental evaluation.
When approved, they must register their legal home address, ship, or whatever they will be operating their bounty hunting out of.
Upon approval, they are given a standard score of 300. They must maintain a score above 50. If their score drops to 50, they are automatically unregistered and lose their legal right to work as a bounty hunter.
Contract Database
The Skolexari Empire has an interconnected contract database fed by the Empire’s military, local authorities, colonies, and allies. These authorities can submit information that makes wanted targets known to registered bounty hunters.
Targets may vary hugely, from very minor local criminals who have evaded arrest warrants to intergalactic targets worth huge payouts who would be considered dangerous or difficult. The information may be updated over time. Some fugitives have escaped capture for years, and their payouts increase with time.
Contracts may be paid by the Empire, colonies, clans, or individual citizens.
Each contract provides all known information on the target and gives a pay-cap: how much the target is worth at maximum.
Bidding on Contracts
Registered bounty hunters bid on jobs or contracts. The system considers both price and professional score to choose who gets the contract.
Types of Contracts
Standard Criminal: A contract issued by the Empire’s law enforcement for a wanted individual who has broken a law or failed to appear to an official summons. Standard only refers to a basic kind of contract, but the criminal quality may range from minor offenses to dangerous ones. This information is all detailed in the contract.
Clan Contract: Approved by law enforcement but put out on behalf of a Skolexari clan for someone wanted by that clan who has evaded clan law and summons. The target may be delivered to the local military or directly to the clan.
Private Contract: Approved by law enforcement and put out by an individual citizen within the Empire. These contracts are investigated and vetted to ensure they are not being used for malicious reasons.
They usually attempt to find lost friends, family, lost or stolen artifacts, or family heirlooms. These contracts don’t require the target to be captured, forced back, or forced to do anything. The bounty hunter may simply locate the target and deliver a message from the person who created the contract.
When looking for a lost item or artifact, these bounty hunters are usually called treasure hunters.
Contract Difficulty and Danger
In addition to its type, each contract has a symbol beside it denoting the difficulty or danger level:
Diamond: Dangerous and difficult.
Circle: Somewhat dangerous and difficult.
X: Not dangerous or difficult.
Teardrop: High priority; someone is in danger. Usually attached to missing or abducted children, when someone innocent may be in danger, or to a dangerous person.
Score System
Bounty hunters operate using a score system linked to the bounty boards. Their score showcases their quality and experience.
For every successfully completed job, the hunter gains points. Bad behavior and failure to complete a contract subtract from the hunter’s score.
Points may also be taken by military members to punish hunters who have done something wrong or annoying. Other hunters can report, or “tag,” hunters who are operating poorly. If they can prove their complaint, the reported hunter may be docked points.
There is no score cap. Older, accomplished hunters may have scores of several thousand from lifelong work.
Hunter Etiquette
Bounty hunters cannot snipe or poach another hunter’s target. Hunter etiquette says they must contact the hunter who holds the contract and tip them off or help them with the target.
The helping hunter is expected to be graciously tipped from the other hunter’s payout when the target is delivered.
Hunters maintain a competitive but cooperative network. Those with bad reputations are often scorned, excluded, or even chased out of hunting by other hunters.
Groups and Teams
Many bounty hunters work as teams. Teams are tracked through the same registration system, and each hunter is linked to the team.
Teams may bid on contracts. Points are awarded to both the team and the individual hunters registered to the team, but the money must be split.
Use of Bounty Hunters
Is generally uncommon or, at least, it’s not standard.
The military pursues its own targets, law enforcement on local levels may put out “contracts” which are really the Skolexari Empire’s version of a high-tech wanted poster.
May be older contracts that are not high priority but are most used on criminals who are actively fleeing, as the universe is huge. Bounty hunters are assumed to be experts on the wider universe, and an extra pair of eyes and ears in pursuing targets.
They keep their regulated system to stop and prevent chaos and lawlessness taking over. Skolexari prefer rules and unity, the winning bidder who controls the bounty upholds the contract. This doesn’t mean others may not pursue the same bounty but only one person is allowed to make the arrest, bring in the target, collect the pay, earn points. As stated prior, money should be split between those who helped the contract holder.
Bounty hunters are seen as licensed auxiliary of the military and law enforcement. They’re not rebels. Most Skolexari are indifferent towards bounty hunters as it is often made up of outcasts and others who have chosen, for various reasons, to work on the fringes of society.