[CaptainHaplo]

Roman has a very good point on the MECHANICS of the differences between a merc and a soldier.

However, let me throw in a bit more.

A soldier can only be a soldier by choosing to swear an oath of loyalty upon enlistment. That enlistment is defined under contract, and there are certain expectations upon both parties under that contract. *Lets not get into involuntary extensions yet ok....*

A soldier answers to a recognized and officially sanctioned chain of command that rises to the highest levels of his countries government.

A soldier builds a level of esprit de corps within his organizational unit - from squad, platoon, and company level all the way up the chain. He forms a bond with his fellow soldiers, and in the event of combat, psycologically fortifies him or her to stay and fight, to protect his buddy, and to finish the mission out of honor and duty.

A soldier starts pretty low on the totem pole, and through time and effort (under most circumstances) can rise to positions of responsibility.

A Merc however differs greatly from a soldier. A merc holds no loyalty to the employing government or private entity, other than a paycheck. If its more profitable to switch sides, a merc might just do it. In addition, the employer usually holds no loyalty to the mercenary, as they are employed for the added benefit of "deniability".

A merc outfit is given mission guidelines, but the detail planning and logistics are usually self-sourced. Information may be given - but other than intel and guidelines, there is no "military resources" available. There is no army medi-vac, no artillery to cover you, no air support to help out, etc.

Also - the goals of a military operation could be varied. It can be natural disaster response (I personally have deployed for a couple of these when I was in), combat, or just the day to day work that must be accomplished for an army to be ready to go.

A merc group doesn't get paid to make sure the vehicles are working, or to make sure an aircraft is FMC. They get paid to complete specific mission objectives that - by definition - are going to put them into situations where they are likely to be in harms way. Many soldiers serve and never do more than fire a rifle once a year on a range for qualification. A soldier may specialize to be a doctor, a dentist, a mechanic, or any number of things. A merc specializes in combat related skills primarily - as this is what their survival relies on.

Where a soldier usually joins young and is "unblooded", a merc (successful - aka a live one) is experienced in what he needs to do. He has been trained - is almost always ex-military, and has already seen combat.

Historically, merc units fragment easily and are not known to have the highest moral or cohesion. While there are exceptions, the majority of cases demonstrate this.

Mercs in the same group usually have a certain level of respect for their comrades, though it takes a few operations to make certain of the "new guy" unless they have seen combat with that person in other times. A new soldier has done little in life to have such respect. Do not confuse this with esprit de corps however. Again - many mercs will leave a comrade if it insures their own survival. *Not all - but many.

The comparison of either of these two people - to that of an assassin - is a stark contrast. A soldier or merc may be tasked to take out a bridge, recon an area, find and rescue a person, secure a location, etc. If this can be accomplished to minimize conflict - both will take that route to avoid death - given or recieved. The Assassin deals in death - he by definition MUST create a casualty to be successful. The first two will, if given the choice (and assuming their sanity), gladly avoid armed conflict. The assassin by his very profession, must take part in it. However, the wise ones will do all they can to make it as minimal as possible. His role - is death. He cannot avoid it. A good soldier or merc often can avoid combat, and when they cannot - it is not sought out - but is forced upon them.

It should be noted that a merc or soldier could, in certain circumstances - have a mission that requires them to take on an assassin's role - but there is a difference between a specific mission task, and murder. An assassins target is usually an individual - while a soldier or merc usually has a mission that simply can result in combat and death. Also an assassin is much more prevalent in private society than in the dealings between governments.