DropShip Courier

"All they do is go from system to system and in most cases they only touch ground every six months. Carrying messages someone doesn't want public, or maybe they're too cheap to pay ComStar's transmission rates. And they sit on the ships, with nothing but time. It's the most boring job you can imagine. I mean, until it's not...

— Mikell Sethan, Priam Company

While Hyperpulse Generators are used to transmit information much faster, many messages in the Inner Sphere still are carried by courier ships. In many of these cases, the messages are sent to the ship by intra-system broadcast and delivered from the ship the same way. Then there are cases which require a direct delivery to a person, especially if the delivery is of cargo as well as a message. Whether carrying mere data or fifty kilograms of whale meat, couriers serve an important function across the Inner Sphere and Periphery. Those who perform these duties are either comfortably-paid by civilian organizations, self-employed through the virtue of owning their own DropShip, or are part of the military for any of the Great Houses. In either case, it is considered relatively safe and a good way to travel. When it's not safe, however, the job can very quickly become complicated. But you most likely won't go hungry.

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The Military

Every military force has their own internal departments meant to handle logistics, and ensure supplies make it to garrisons before the soldiers there run out. Whether or not this is done reliably is another question, and after the Third Succession War it became fashionable to use mercenaries to staff garrisons which were not of critical importance. Couriers employed by the military thus usually are attached to deliveries of cargo to save some expense, or trusted with high-level dispatches meant to be delivered to people in charge of entire battalions. The former is considered a form of punishment duty to many who crave action, while the latter is usually reserved for people with the temperament to ensure messages make it to their destination.

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The Companies

There are easily hundreds of minor courier services operating in known space, ranging from those dealing solely in messages to those who only move cargo. Most corporations which produce military hardware have their own departments for shipping, while there are numerous independent services operating for those who need to send goods. The company "Star League Express" continues to operate across hundreds of systems closer to Terra, despite the name being an artifact of a distant past. They maintain a good reputation, though they are considered slightly more expensive than more local offerings. "Aliandros Starscapes" handles moving cargo inside the Federated Suns, and even across borders normally hostile to FedSun interests. They manage to secure such clearances by steadfastly refusing to ship any military hardware. The territories of the five Great Houses have their own preferred courier services, as well, often quietly backed by the government to ensure there is always civilian courier services which can be relied upon.

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Alternative Names

Diplomatic Courier
"The Mailman"

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Demand

Highly demanded.

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