Dogs of Fortune

Enter the hidden world of modern mercenaries, take dangerous contracts, choose your allies, make enemies, and forge your reputation.

Plot

DOGS OF FORTUNE PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTOR SANDBOX The world has always had soldiers for hire. In this world, they never went away. In the early seventeenth century, disaster and war shattered European control across much of the Caribbean and Central America. Imperial fleets withdrew, colonial garrisons were abandoned, and settlements were left without the nations that claimed them. Privateers, pirates, militias, merchant fleets, and soldiers of fortune filled the vacuum. Some became predators. Others became permanent institutions, fighting alongside nations, corporations, revolutionaries, and anyone capable of paying their price. By the modern age, the mercenary world had largely disappeared from public view, but never from existence. Governments use mercenaries for deniable operations. Corporations hire them to protect assets. Intelligence agencies employ them when involvement could trigger an international crisis. They conduct counterterrorism, rescue, security, combat, intelligence, humanitarian operations, and other work governments or clients cannot handle openly. ABOVE THEM STAND THE GREAT FIVE. CRIMSON SAILS The oldest, traces its origins to privateers who swore to defend the abandoned rather than prey upon them. BLACK STONE Crimson Sail's ancient enemy, built its reputation accepting contracts others considered too dangerous, immoral, or monstrous. COBALT WINGS Specializes in combat medicine, rescue, humanitarian operations, and protecting lives where ordinary aid organizations cannot survive. IRON JACKALS Embrace modern warfare, bringing armor, aviation, artillery, drones, and overwhelming battlefield power to their clients. ARGENT VEIL Fights wars without showing its hand, specializing in intelligence, infiltration, sabotage, extraction, and covert operations. The Great Five compete, rarely cooperate, and undermine one another. Crimson Sails and Black Stone are especially bitter enemies, with each company viewing the other as a direct threat. The conflict between them is not simply about territory. It is about contracts, reputation, influence, and the future of the mercenary industry. Governments, corporations, intelligence agencies, and independent clients all have reasons to use them. Above them stand the Great Five.

Opening scene

The smell of burning diesel hangs thick in the air. Cold wind pushes smoke across shattered concrete while the last echoes of gunfire fade somewhere beyond the valley. The operation should have been routine. It wasn't. Intelligence reported a lightly defended insurgent facility hidden inside an abandoned industrial district. Satellite imagery supported it. Drone reconnaissance confirmed it. Everything was wrong. The facility had been reinforced. The enemy knew you were coming. Within minutes, the operation became a running fight through burning vehicles, collapsing buildings, and intersecting fields of fire. Your squad fought well. It wasn't enough. One by one, they fell. Some buying time. Some dragging wounded comrades to cover. Some holding impossible positions long enough for the mission to continue. Against every expectation... You completed the objective. The mission succeeded. Nearly everyone beside you died making sure it did. Hours later... Rain taps against the armored hull of the APC. Nobody celebrates. Nobody talks about victory. There are too many empty seats for that. The vehicle finally slows. Brakes hiss. The rear ramp lowers. You expect medics. Investigators. Command staff. Instead... Six strangers are waiting. They stand apart from one another, each watching the APC with the quiet patience of someone who already knows exactly who is coming down that ramp. The first wears a crimson field jacket over modern tactical gear. Plate carrier, communications equipment, sidearm, compact rifle. Everything practical and contemporary. The only decoration is a small crimson sail embroidered discreetly inside one sleeve. The second wears black without a visible insignia. Relaxed. Unbothered. Their eyes move over you with the uncomfortable precision of someone assessing exactly what you're capable of. The third stands beside an ambulance. Medical insignia replaces the usual collection of military patches, and their attention immediately settles on your injuries. The fourth leans against a heavily modified armored SUV, grease staining one sleeve and several drone cases stacked nearby. The fifth wears an immaculate charcoal suit beneath a plain umbrella. You somehow looked past them when the ramp first opened. The sixth has no colors, tactical equipment, or military insignia at all. Just a business suit and a weatherproof folder. Your commanding officer approaches from another vehicle, sees them, and sighs. "...Figured they'd show." He looks at you. "Congratulations. You've just become very popular." The crimson-clad recruiter steps forward. "Crimson Sails. We know what happened out there. You stayed on mission after everything fell apart and brought the objective home." A respectful nod. "We'd like to talk." The one in black follows. "Black Stone. Everyone reads reports." A faint smile. "We read survivors." The medic steps forward next. "Cobalt Wings. I've read your casualty report." Their eyes briefly return to your injuries. "Before everyone starts discussing your next battlefield, I'd rather make sure you're still standing." The fourth recruiter pushes away from the armored vehicle. "Iron Jackals. Your plan collapsed. You adapted." They shrug. "We can teach weapons. Teaching that is harder." The figure beneath the umbrella speaks without moving. "Argent Veil. We're less interested in what you accomplished than the decisions you made when accomplishing it became impossible." A slight smile. "Apparently, you disagreed with impossible." Finally, the sixth recruiter opens the folder. "Independent Contractor Exchange. No company. No oath. No permanent colors." They offer you a card. "If you'd rather choose who gets your services, I'm your sixth option." Your commanding officer stares at the six of them for several seconds. "For the record, you're still mine for another four months. Debriefings, investigation, medical review, separation paperwork..." He looks back at you. "But apparently they couldn't wait." Six recruiters. Five companies whose names carry weight in circles most civilians never know exist. And one offering you the chance to belong to none of them. For now, nobody asks you to choose. They simply wait to see who you speak to first.

Characters

Tags: Mercenary Modern Adventure Combat Dangerous Urban Violence Loyal Tough Brave Leader Undercover Mystery Suspense Thriller AntiHero Military War OpenEnding Multiple AnyPOV ThirdPerson Mature Tense Grimdark Scenario PoliticalIntrigue Strong Principled Ambitious

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By: horizonfoundry

Stories

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