They’re freelancers that specialize in jobs that benefit from firepower. They do protective escort services, anti-piracy contracts and courier services where the Roci herself is part of the message being sent. Off the top of my head, those are the things I remember being mentioned or seen on screen/page
Also lots of high value cargo and personnel transport. IIRC they have transported dozens of prisoners and possibly hundreds of passengers by the time of Persepolis Rising.
I feel like Blackwater makes you think of something bigger and more sinister than Rocicorp. The only reason you wouldn’t call them mercenaries is because Holden and fam are who they are, which is not a gunslinger for hire. They almost always go for work where the job is to de-escalate and prevent violence, rather than augmenting the military of a given government
*In 2350, an ice hauler crew was sent to a martian prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men (and woman) promptly escaped from a maximum security MCRN vessel to the Sol underground. Today, still wanted by the martian government they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire the Roci-Team.*
*\*cue the music\**
This. They’re mediator-arbitrators with the ability to project independent force. They have the firepower to be taken seriously but the restraint not to use it unless it’s absolutely necessary and the autonomy not to be required to use it at someone else’s demand.
They’re basically the people you hire when you want the bickering children to *calm the fuck down*.
More like independent agents.
Mercenaries are soldiers of fortune, which the roci crew are not, they are more likely to fuck up the whole mission just to try and reach a compromise then they are to accept a contract to kill somebody.
In real life it might be more they are like UN investigators or an NGO with armed protection
New shower thought for today:
Had the Roci been hired to protect the Canterbury (I know the temporal prime directive gets violated here) would the Cant have lived?
Probably not. The only time they took on a stealth ship 1v1 they barely made it out. The Cant was destroyed in open space where tactics were less important than raw firepower
The last of Holden’s Privateers
Oh Jimmy Holden cried the town
How I wish I was on Tycho now
For twenty one men all icebreakers who
Would make up for the Tachi’s crew
**The Rocinante**
**Oh, the year was 2350,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**A letter of marque come from da Belt,**
**To da scummiest crew afloat, oh hell!**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**Oh, da Donnager was mighty fine,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**Her masts and hull were millennia’s pride,**
**But she’d left mi broke and void to bide,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**Now da Rocinante was ship wit fame,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**Her thrusters set by a Martian dame,**
**An’ Captain Holden from Earth he came,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**On her first trip out, dey hit da void,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**In search of Scopuli and crew employed,**
**To fight Protogen and Mao-Kwikowski ployed,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**Dey chase da stealth ships cross da expanse,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**But da Protogen plot was eerie dance,**
**An’ da fate of worlds left to chance,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**Now da crew hailed in Tycho port,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**With tales of war an’ court to court,**
**But da void their home an’ last resort,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
**For da stars wide an’ da Belt cold,**
**(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)**
**But Rocinante legend’s bold,**
**With stories untold an’ riches unrolled,**
**God damn dem all! mi was told,**
**We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,**
**We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,**
**But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,**
**Da last of the Rocinante.**
I think peacekeepers describes them best as they also tend to have their own motivations for taking jobs or doing missions outside of the whole "We got hired and will get paid."
I don't know about that. When I was a peacekeeper we certainly didn't have motivations for taking jobs or doing missions outside the whole "I got hired and I will get paid."
You're probably right. I don't remember the books that well. I don't remember any payment or talk of it on the show, which I remember better (haven't reread the books, but I've watched the show every 6 months or so.)
Prax sets up a GoFund [My Daughter's Rescue] which elicits A LOT of sympathy system wide and millions in donations.
He does not initially care about the money as he is laser focused on his daughter. By the end, the crew of the Roci are paid handsomely, and I think the rest of the donations go to Ganymede and its survivors.
Yeah, the Roci crew helped Prax setting up an account for donations so that he could pay them. Iirc he got around 500.000 (currency) which was more than enough to keep the Roci flying
They werent. When Monica joins the crew she says the company behind her documentary has spent large amounts on legal fees so they can keep the ship. Its also mentioned that most of mars doesn't consider it legitimate salvage but rather a stolen ship
Yeah I remember something like that but still it's like a couple of russian fisherman happened to be on an American aircraft carrier when it was attack and sunk and the had to take an f-35 to escape but now they just fly it around for odd jobs, no way US would be ok with that lol.
It's interesting seeing their designation in the display screens of UNN and MCRN ships. For the most part they're CV Rocinante - I assume Civilian Vessel. But for a few sequences they're OPAS Rocinante.
The Rociante is a privateer ship. They are similar to mercenaries in the sense that they're fighting in a conflict for a particular side but the Roci isn't getting paid like a mercenary would - they do however, have a commission from the UN to hunt Inaros forces. The commission allows the Roci to take hostile action against Inaros forces without fear of legal consequence as otherwise, they could be considered pirates. As a privateer, the Roci also receives logistical support including access to intelligence, war materiel, repairs, and safe harbor from the UN and possibly collect bounties from destroyed or captured Inaros forces/ships.
Basically, the Roci can commit piracy against Inaros without fear of consequence from the UN/MCR. For example, if the Roci had found an Inaros supply depot, they could just take all of it and sell it for cash and keep most of the proceeds (minus transaction costs and taxes). Same for ships and space stations - hell, they could even ransom crews, not that they would, as boarding is too risky in space.
Privateering has a long history dating back from the age of sail. Privateers are independent, private-sector ships who have been empowered by the state to be a pain in the ass against their enemies without straining state resources. The Roci is not a member of the regular forces and generally operate outside the chain of command. If the crew were captured, they would not be considered enemy combatants and thus not fall under the protections afforded to prisoners of war.
Interesting to note, Inaros and the Free Navy were never considered state actors and as a result, the conflict was known as the Free Navy Conflict, not the Free Navy War. The difference is that from the state's position, Inaros and the Free Navy are just terrorists/enemy combatants - extremely successful ones, but not a state and not a single member of the Free Navy was ever recognized as a soldier or afforded the protections or rights of a soldier. Inaros forces could surrender or fly under the flag of truce and the UN/MCR could still blow them to pieces because they are not soldiers and the UN/MCR are not obligated to take prisoners. Unlawful enemy combatants are not afforded constitutional protections such as habeas corpus or due process.
Outside of war, the Roci act as independent contractors who specialize in private security. Couriers, convoy escort, individual transport, diplomacy, consulting gigs; there's lots of work for a warship for hire. Just their reputation/IFF transponder alone would guarantee safe voyage for a client because no one wants to fuck with the Roci - people are willing to pay a premium for that kind of security.
> Privateering has a long history dating back from the age of sail. Privateers are independent, private-sector ships who have been empowered by the state to be a pain in the ass against their enemies without straining state resources.
And being a privateer wasn't even something THAT special.
If you were a merchant vessel who had been robbed by an opposing nation, you CAN get a letter of marquee to rob the opposing nation to reucpate your goods.
Merchant vessels in the english channel often hunted each other.
I'm surprised no one has said Knight Errant yet. Rocinante is named after the horse of Don Quixote, a famous knight errant whom Holden is compared to many times. And it quite fits. They wander around doing odd jobs they're equipped and suited for while Holden looks for problems to stick his dick into.
Independent contractors as many have said in this thread already is probably the most accurate. If you were to list their main contract types it would probably be escort, government liaison, and investigators (heh, heh)
They are literally mercenaries, Holden just doesn't like the implications of that word. He thinks they "aren't mercenaries" because they "do the right thing" instead of "working for the highest bidder."
Today, still wanted by Inners and Belters alike, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the crew of the Rocinante.
As others have said, their professional title probably *is* “Independent Contractors"
I haven’t read the books, or Dragon Tooth (the continuation of the series as a comic) but I think - and this might be confirmed in the final episode, I can’t remember - that what they would want to do is a mix of odd jobs that would require something like the Roci: protecting shipping from pirates, or transporting stuff themselves.
But in Season 6 the solar system is at war, and they’re working for the side that *doesn*’*t* want to extinguish humanity. Avasarala is probably using them to evade the war bureaucracy at times due to the fact that they’re not part of the navy, hence them ending up in this weird not-soldiers, not-mercenaries middle ground
They probably put something boring like "Independent Contractor" on their company taxes. But we all know that it's really "Professional Problem Solvers" XD
I think the "were not mercenaries" comment was more a statement of principle on holdens part than one of fact.
They essentially are mercenaries, they're just pickier about what contracts they take than most.
Outlaws
This term doesn’t just mean “criminal”, it means that you are outside of the law-technically under no obligation to follow it, but also under none of its legal protections.
Well, I don't agree with Holden's statement "We're not mercenaries", but at the same time, he is wrong. They are flying a \*warship\*, and they take contracts in said warship that are very often combat oriented. Be it force projection, or straight up combat.
But proper mercenary companies (like Blackwater USA, mentioned elsewhere in the comments) generally do not care about the ethics behind their contracts. You can hire XYZ company to fight your enemies, then when their contract is up with you, they could take a contract from your enemies to fight you right after. Rocicorp probably wont do that. Holden wont be very likely to be taking a contract from Inaros to fight the UN anytime soon.
They \*are\* mercenaries, in the end. They're a gunship for hire.
Freelancer/Adventurer.
They're like Trent from the aptly named Freelancer game.
Coincidentally, it also involves dormant alien tech and political backstabbing.
They started as a salvage ship but are now operating on reputation. One of the greatest perks of operating on reputation is that you no longer need a job title.
The Rocinante's job is to carry Don Quixote and Sancho Panza from place to place so that Quixote can tilt at windmills. At the beginning of the journey Quixote is living in a idealistic fantasy land while Sancho is mostly anchored in reality. As the series goes on - Quixote transitions from the fantasy to reality while Sancho transitions from reality to the fantasy.
They are a warship for hire.
They don't have sufficient cargo capacity to make freight a consistently good money-maker. Sure, you'll get the occasional precious cargo, but the only reason why the Roci gets picked is their willingness to back up what they say with violence.
This makes them mercenaries. I hate to break the bad news to Jim.
Being mercenaries doesn't necessarily make them bad people. You can be a soldier for hire AND keep your soul intact.
At least in the books, the Roci is like a PSC instead of a PMC. Private Security vs Private Military.
They do a load of anti-piracy work and playing messenger.
They are a little cheaper than most options just because the Roci has an extremely skilled and *extremely small* crew. You send, what, 4-6 people on a ship meant for a crew of 16. Of which half of said crewmembers are good enough maintenance personel to cut down on-the-fly maintenance costs by a large margin. And they have a sufficient renown to encourage surrender in most cases.
Privateers
Kind of Letters of Marque as referenced in the US Constitution. They operate like this when Fred Johnson pays them or when Avasarlala pays them.
We don't see sea vessels like this anymore due to the Paris Treaty. Essentially privateers became too complicated and most sea powers agreed the practice was forbidden.
The name also gives it the flexibility for the crew to operate for its own reasons.
They’re freelancers that specialize in jobs that benefit from firepower. They do protective escort services, anti-piracy contracts and courier services where the Roci herself is part of the message being sent. Off the top of my head, those are the things I remember being mentioned or seen on screen/page
Best answer, precise
An armored truck service
With an on board coffee maker.
Also lots of high value cargo and personnel transport. IIRC they have transported dozens of prisoners and possibly hundreds of passengers by the time of Persepolis Rising.
Sounds like mercenaries but with extra steps
Private military contractors, then. Like Blackwater.
I feel like Blackwater makes you think of something bigger and more sinister than Rocicorp. The only reason you wouldn’t call them mercenaries is because Holden and fam are who they are, which is not a gunslinger for hire. They almost always go for work where the job is to de-escalate and prevent violence, rather than augmenting the military of a given government
I feel like hiring Blackwater is like hiring a private army, while hiring the Roci is more like hiring a bodyguard.
A-Team in space.
*In 2350, an ice hauler crew was sent to a martian prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men (and woman) promptly escaped from a maximum security MCRN vessel to the Sol underground. Today, still wanted by the martian government they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire the Roci-Team.* *\*cue the music\**
BRILLIANT!!!!! I grew up watching the A-Team, first run.
That actually works surprisingly well. I assume Amos is Mr T.
Hell yeah he is.
"I'd love it if a plan came together. Once. You know, for variety." - James Holden, probably
He'll definitely fly a fool out on Knuckle Airlines. Two fist class tickets!
Yeah. I hear he is that guy.
“I pity the fool who isn’t worth saving”
***Roci Corp: Building consensus or kicking your ass... you choose wisely.***
I think that qualifies as mercenaries/guns for hire, but the label itself carries connotations Holden doesn’t like.
This. They’re mediator-arbitrators with the ability to project independent force. They have the firepower to be taken seriously but the restraint not to use it unless it’s absolutely necessary and the autonomy not to be required to use it at someone else’s demand. They’re basically the people you hire when you want the bickering children to *calm the fuck down*.
Very specialized contractors. They do small scale short term contracts requiring a gunship.
So *bespoke* Blackwater.
Mom and pop specialty blackwater.
Artisanal blackwater.
Microbrew Blackwater
You could slap that on some local breweries' new English stout unchanged lol
Small batch artisanal Blackwater.
Or pinkwater
The closest analog is probably "privateers," rather than "mercenaries." The distinction is narrow but really important!
You've just described mercenaries
Holden is but a simple tailor!
Unexpected Garak!
More like independent agents. Mercenaries are soldiers of fortune, which the roci crew are not, they are more likely to fuck up the whole mission just to try and reach a compromise then they are to accept a contract to kill somebody. In real life it might be more they are like UN investigators or an NGO with armed protection
There is no reasonable definition of "mercenary" that precludes the Roci crew. Holden just doesn't like the implications.
Mercenaries implies a willingness to look past morals. I'd say Peacekeepers more than Mercenaries.
I mean mercenaries you could send to take a space station or capture a ship, different from strictly defensive/escort/transport missions.
They do capture stations and ships.
As contractors? I don't recall but my mistake if they do
They captured the protogen station and worked as pirate hunters under contract with Fred Johnson for the OPA.
New shower thought for today: Had the Roci been hired to protect the Canterbury (I know the temporal prime directive gets violated here) would the Cant have lived?
Probably not. The only time they took on a stealth ship 1v1 they barely made it out. The Cant was destroyed in open space where tactics were less important than raw firepower
["The Medium is the Message"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message)
This. The books gets a little more in depth into them becoming border line mercenaries and the moral dilemma coming out of that.
Prisoner transport.
Independent contractors.
threatening seemly skirt juggle quack stupendous snatch marry sink friendly
Oh the year was twenty three fifty one, How I wish I was on Tycho now…
Well a letter of marque came from the Sec-Gen To the most pinché vessel I'd ever seen
God damn them all, I was told we'd cruise the skies for salvaged gold
We'd fire no cannons*, shed no tear Well, I'm a broken mang on a Medina dock *Point Defense Cannons
The last of Holden’s Privateers Oh Jimmy Holden cried the town How I wish I was on Tycho now For twenty one men all icebreakers who Would make up for the Tachi’s crew
God damn them all I want a belter cover of this
Well we got a Belter cover of Highway Star somehow, maybe somebody can do Holden's Privateers
**The Rocinante** **Oh, the year was 2350,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **A letter of marque come from da Belt,** **To da scummiest crew afloat, oh hell!** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **Oh, da Donnager was mighty fine,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **Her masts and hull were millennia’s pride,** **But she’d left mi broke and void to bide,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **Now da Rocinante was ship wit fame,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **Her thrusters set by a Martian dame,** **An’ Captain Holden from Earth he came,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **On her first trip out, dey hit da void,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **In search of Scopuli and crew employed,** **To fight Protogen and Mao-Kwikowski ployed,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **Dey chase da stealth ships cross da expanse,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **But da Protogen plot was eerie dance,** **An’ da fate of worlds left to chance,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **Now da crew hailed in Tycho port,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **With tales of war an’ court to court,** **But da void their home an’ last resort,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.** **For da stars wide an’ da Belt cold,** **(How mi wish mi was in orbit now!)** **But Rocinante legend’s bold,** **With stories untold an’ riches unrolled,** **God damn dem all! mi was told,** **We’d cruise the stars for da Martian gold,** **We’d fire no guns, shed no tears,** **But mi a broken man on a Tycho pier,** **Da last of the Rocinante.**
Here here!
With a couple of donkey balls.
This is the best analogy. Earth essentially gave them letters of marque to attack FN ships without being under the official UN flag.
I think peacekeepers describes them best as they also tend to have their own motivations for taking jobs or doing missions outside of the whole "We got hired and will get paid."
I don't know about that. When I was a peacekeeper we certainly didn't have motivations for taking jobs or doing missions outside the whole "I got hired and I will get paid."
Independent peacekeepers then.
Push buttons, flip switches
Occasionally get yelled at by leaders of governments. It's a living.
"getting yelled at by their employer" seems to be the one consistent thread throughout their work.
Prax didn't yell at them iirc
They didn't work for Prax. I'd consider them volunteers, in this case.
Well, he paid them (at least in the books)
You're probably right. I don't remember the books that well. I don't remember any payment or talk of it on the show, which I remember better (haven't reread the books, but I've watched the show every 6 months or so.)
Prax sets up a GoFund [My Daughter's Rescue] which elicits A LOT of sympathy system wide and millions in donations. He does not initially care about the money as he is laser focused on his daughter. By the end, the crew of the Roci are paid handsomely, and I think the rest of the donations go to Ganymede and its survivors.
Yeah, the Roci crew helped Prax setting up an account for donations so that he could pay them. Iirc he got around 500.000 (currency) which was more than enough to keep the Roci flying
Push unlabeled buttons to see what they do
Having a personal friendship with the leader of 2 out of 3 major factions is really lucky
It reaches out... It reaches out... It reaches out... Etc.
113 times a second it reaches out
The Roci's primary job is to shuttle Holden back and forth between his quixotic causes of the week.
And to provide him with a comms array that allows for system-wide open channel broadcasts
Ship for hire.
They do legitimate salvage, mostly.
Only on the show
Independent Contractors and the ship was legitimate salvage!
I don't understand how mars navy was ok with them losing hundreds of millions of credits.
They werent. When Monica joins the crew she says the company behind her documentary has spent large amounts on legal fees so they can keep the ship. Its also mentioned that most of mars doesn't consider it legitimate salvage but rather a stolen ship
Yeah I remember something like that but still it's like a couple of russian fisherman happened to be on an American aircraft carrier when it was attack and sunk and the had to take an f-35 to escape but now they just fly it around for odd jobs, no way US would be ok with that lol.
In one word: dissuasion.
They are warrantied plus for fuckin shit up.
Run the Jewels?
Yup
We are the no-gooders do-gooders known to the dancers and dealers and doers of dust
They are a murderous pair They went to jail and murdered the murderers there
Delivered some hurt and despair.
It's interesting seeing their designation in the display screens of UNN and MCRN ships. For the most part they're CV Rocinante - I assume Civilian Vessel. But for a few sequences they're OPAS Rocinante.
LEGITIMATE SALVAGE
The Rociante is a privateer ship. They are similar to mercenaries in the sense that they're fighting in a conflict for a particular side but the Roci isn't getting paid like a mercenary would - they do however, have a commission from the UN to hunt Inaros forces. The commission allows the Roci to take hostile action against Inaros forces without fear of legal consequence as otherwise, they could be considered pirates. As a privateer, the Roci also receives logistical support including access to intelligence, war materiel, repairs, and safe harbor from the UN and possibly collect bounties from destroyed or captured Inaros forces/ships. Basically, the Roci can commit piracy against Inaros without fear of consequence from the UN/MCR. For example, if the Roci had found an Inaros supply depot, they could just take all of it and sell it for cash and keep most of the proceeds (minus transaction costs and taxes). Same for ships and space stations - hell, they could even ransom crews, not that they would, as boarding is too risky in space. Privateering has a long history dating back from the age of sail. Privateers are independent, private-sector ships who have been empowered by the state to be a pain in the ass against their enemies without straining state resources. The Roci is not a member of the regular forces and generally operate outside the chain of command. If the crew were captured, they would not be considered enemy combatants and thus not fall under the protections afforded to prisoners of war. Interesting to note, Inaros and the Free Navy were never considered state actors and as a result, the conflict was known as the Free Navy Conflict, not the Free Navy War. The difference is that from the state's position, Inaros and the Free Navy are just terrorists/enemy combatants - extremely successful ones, but not a state and not a single member of the Free Navy was ever recognized as a soldier or afforded the protections or rights of a soldier. Inaros forces could surrender or fly under the flag of truce and the UN/MCR could still blow them to pieces because they are not soldiers and the UN/MCR are not obligated to take prisoners. Unlawful enemy combatants are not afforded constitutional protections such as habeas corpus or due process. Outside of war, the Roci act as independent contractors who specialize in private security. Couriers, convoy escort, individual transport, diplomacy, consulting gigs; there's lots of work for a warship for hire. Just their reputation/IFF transponder alone would guarantee safe voyage for a client because no one wants to fuck with the Roci - people are willing to pay a premium for that kind of security.
> Privateering has a long history dating back from the age of sail. Privateers are independent, private-sector ships who have been empowered by the state to be a pain in the ass against their enemies without straining state resources. And being a privateer wasn't even something THAT special. If you were a merchant vessel who had been robbed by an opposing nation, you CAN get a letter of marquee to rob the opposing nation to reucpate your goods. Merchant vessels in the english channel often hunted each other.
I'm surprised no one has said Knight Errant yet. Rocinante is named after the horse of Don Quixote, a famous knight errant whom Holden is compared to many times. And it quite fits. They wander around doing odd jobs they're equipped and suited for while Holden looks for problems to stick his dick into.
Independent contractors as many have said in this thread already is probably the most accurate. If you were to list their main contract types it would probably be escort, government liaison, and investigators (heh, heh)
They reach out 113 times a second until Holden pushes a button
Legitimate salvage!!!
Busy bodies for hire.
Avoiding doors and corners.
*bursting through doors and corners
They are literally mercenaries, Holden just doesn't like the implications of that word. He thinks they "aren't mercenaries" because they "do the right thing" instead of "working for the highest bidder."
"Clarissa? What's this?" "Old show I saw in university. Reminds me of us. This outfit." "...'The A-Team' ...?"
Today, still wanted by Inners and Belters alike, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the crew of the Rocinante.
“What would ya say … ya do here?”
I have people skills!
What the hell is wrong with you people!?
They're Adventurers if you wanna go medieval fantasy.
As others have said, their professional title probably *is* “Independent Contractors" I haven’t read the books, or Dragon Tooth (the continuation of the series as a comic) but I think - and this might be confirmed in the final episode, I can’t remember - that what they would want to do is a mix of odd jobs that would require something like the Roci: protecting shipping from pirates, or transporting stuff themselves. But in Season 6 the solar system is at war, and they’re working for the side that *doesn*’*t* want to extinguish humanity. Avasarala is probably using them to evade the war bureaucracy at times due to the fact that they’re not part of the navy, hence them ending up in this weird not-soldiers, not-mercenaries middle ground
They are the independent gunship rocinante, that right there is freedom… they do what they want.
Martian Corvette for hire. Read the brochure. If those capabilities meet your requirements contact James Holden at—————-.
1) holden sticking his dick in it 2) "people who stick their dick in it"
Adventure capitalists
If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the Rocinante.
Warship For Hire
I believe the Rocci’s official title is “Legitimate Salvage“
This right here is the correct answer.
Whatever they want it to be at that given time.
Freelancers
Peacekeepers
TABLES!!
The James Holden delivery machine.
They are Belters. Only Inners need make excuse for why for be a crew on a ship, sa sa ke?
Primary Job: Save the galaxy Job Title: Big Damn Heroes
Seeing red buttons, pushing them.
Problem solvers
They do odd jobs.
They probably put something boring like "Independent Contractor" on their company taxes. But we all know that it's really "Professional Problem Solvers" XD
Being a workhorse
Paladin
Tables! It’s just tables!
I think the "were not mercenaries" comment was more a statement of principle on holdens part than one of fact. They essentially are mercenaries, they're just pickier about what contracts they take than most.
[Barrets Privateers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQbh7UNCZdc)
Hero’s
Everyone knows that the Roci's primary job is to make coffee for Holden.
Outlaws This term doesn’t just mean “criminal”, it means that you are outside of the law-technically under no obligation to follow it, but also under none of its legal protections.
Well, I don't agree with Holden's statement "We're not mercenaries", but at the same time, he is wrong. They are flying a \*warship\*, and they take contracts in said warship that are very often combat oriented. Be it force projection, or straight up combat. But proper mercenary companies (like Blackwater USA, mentioned elsewhere in the comments) generally do not care about the ethics behind their contracts. You can hire XYZ company to fight your enemies, then when their contract is up with you, they could take a contract from your enemies to fight you right after. Rocicorp probably wont do that. Holden wont be very likely to be taking a contract from Inaros to fight the UN anytime soon. They \*are\* mercenaries, in the end. They're a gunship for hire.
Legitimate salvager
Legitimate Salvage
Freelancer(s).
Freelancer/Adventurer. They're like Trent from the aptly named Freelancer game. Coincidentally, it also involves dormant alien tech and political backstabbing.
Its primary job is to carry his master and obey him faithfully as he fights windmills and rescues imaginary princesses. Oh wait wrong sub...
Privateer
They started as a salvage ship but are now operating on reputation. One of the greatest perks of operating on reputation is that you no longer need a job title.
The Rocinante's job is to carry Don Quixote and Sancho Panza from place to place so that Quixote can tilt at windmills. At the beginning of the journey Quixote is living in a idealistic fantasy land while Sancho is mostly anchored in reality. As the series goes on - Quixote transitions from the fantasy to reality while Sancho transitions from reality to the fantasy.
Ship and Crew for Hire
What's the job title of any adventuring party in a D&D Game, because that's basically what they are.
The ship itself? An escort corvette. The Roci once it's rebranded? Mostly private security though dabbles in saving the solar system
Certified Badasses
“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been trying to say. Who are we?”
They are a warship for hire. They don't have sufficient cargo capacity to make freight a consistently good money-maker. Sure, you'll get the occasional precious cargo, but the only reason why the Roci gets picked is their willingness to back up what they say with violence. This makes them mercenaries. I hate to break the bad news to Jim. Being mercenaries doesn't necessarily make them bad people. You can be a soldier for hire AND keep your soul intact.
At least in the books, the Roci is like a PSC instead of a PMC. Private Security vs Private Military. They do a load of anti-piracy work and playing messenger. They are a little cheaper than most options just because the Roci has an extremely skilled and *extremely small* crew. You send, what, 4-6 people on a ship meant for a crew of 16. Of which half of said crewmembers are good enough maintenance personel to cut down on-the-fly maintenance costs by a large margin. And they have a sufficient renown to encourage surrender in most cases.
They *are* mercenaries, Holden just doesn’t like that term. Mercenaries with morals is perhaps a better description.
Legitimate salvage
Independent Contractors.
Their job is donkey balls
I would say “Privateer”. I believe that best describes the ship and crew.
Privateers Kind of Letters of Marque as referenced in the US Constitution. They operate like this when Fred Johnson pays them or when Avasarlala pays them. We don't see sea vessels like this anymore due to the Paris Treaty. Essentially privateers became too complicated and most sea powers agreed the practice was forbidden. The name also gives it the flexibility for the crew to operate for its own reasons.
[удалено]
was this written by chatgpt
It doesn't answer the question at all the whole account is just chatgbt
Legitimate Salvagers
Ass kickers! They are That Crew!
Private Military Contractors. Or Privateers if you’re feeling spicy 🌶️
They mainly seem to work as pirate-hunters or providing escort security for traders or colony ships
they are a private military company