Intergalactic Mercenary Guild

A universal organization for the various mercenaries, bounty hunters, and other contracted soldiers of the galaxy, the Intergalactic Mercenary Guild, or IMG, pronounced image, is meant on paper to promote legal contracts, teams, and a way to build up one's profile and renown. In practice, however, the guild, which is a loose term considering how wide scale it is, tends to tolerate the more shady side of operation more than it probably should. Especially in recent years, IMG has become home to various criminal activities only loosely associated with the concept of a "mercenary", although in reality such has merely been re-branded.

Yes, its name is a bit misleading, as it is more so a standard for the industry than a tight knit group of people. Instead, IMG offers a way for like minded people to meet and form their own alliances, of which famous, and infamous, names and groups, often referred to as teams or partnerships. In addition, IMG offers work for these people that is reliable and ensured to pay what is offered, at just a small cut from a person's total earnings for membership. Members are allowed to take jobs outside of those licensed, although advised against it.

The organization was founded some 300 years ago, as a safe haven from the increasingly monopolizing tendencies of various corporations. Meant to promote individualism and protect members above all else, the Executive Council that is the "leadership" of IMG rarely gets involved in affairs, the members of said council unknown to almost all and scattered throughout the various ranks of IMG. This is because there is little to truly be involved in, the organization has neutrality in all political affairs and only when a member is found breaking a law, which does happen quite often, is IMG is called into question. For the most part, the organization is pretty good at obtaining pardons, although acts with little to no justification are the typical exception.

While having no official ranks, IMG generally recommends not choosing a job difficulty above ones' capabilities, the rating of such displayed on every opportunity, green being the most basic, followed by yellow, orange, red, and black. Unofficially, members are often referred to with the highest level of job they have successfully completed.

The Intergalactic Mercenary Guild consists of seven branches, most officially recognized while some more illegitimate in nature. While most members of IMG only frequent a single branch, there is no rule on how many branches one can associate with.

• IMG Headquarters, also known as the General Branch, located in the Federation of Fioran States
• The Sellswords' Branch, located in the Boscan Großesreich
  
• The Hunters' Branch, located in the Isborn-Bellumese Commonwealth
• The Intelligence Branch, located in the Union of Pergrandian Socialist Republics
• The Smugglers' Branch, located in the Encan-Sinian Commonwealth
• The Assassins' Branch, located in the Desiertan Caliphate
• The Thieves' Branch, located in the Republic of Chorus