Mercenary: ''with mind cold as the steel, deep dark eyes, men and women working for the profit." ... this might be good description for those who live and die by the sword. Pilot, have you decided to play as mercenary and this will bring you often near to death, but you live with a ship and her guns and this is what is for you most important. Please refer to the CF Server Rules for further information regarding Role-Play (RP).
What you can expect in Crossfire space:
As mercenary you are not allowed attack anyone, unless you do not have a contract (bounty is form of contract). This simple rule might be the weakest or strongest part of this RP. If you have many contracts then is life wonderful, if not, might be very boring. Could be good idea think about this, and keep your customers very close. Everyone can ask your help, you only needed to decide, if you want (or not) perform offered job ... except private termination contracts, so called non-public bounties are forbidden! Keep in mind, that is only up to you decide how you want fulfil contract (no matter who your customer is) ... Sometimes is more important how is contract fulfilled (how you behave when you do it) than contract itself. The more interaction with others you will have, the better for you. You do not need to tell contract details, but before you will open fire, you need to openly announce that "this" person hired you to help his case (i.e. helping pirates, smugglers or police). Except public bounty is only one additional situation when you do not need to announce your attack, and it is when your customer is attacked and you are fighting in his defense for keep him alive. For all your mercenary operations can apply: choose wisely your customers, you will live with consequences of your actions ...
Meeting a police officer: If you do not have illegal cargo or you are not helping the criminals, then you do not need to worry about encounters with officers. Reality can be exactly opposite, they might be your very good customer if you will prove yours reliability (your reputation can be the most important here). If is your contract aimed against police, then you might expect that officers can cooperate and you will need deal with more than only one "target" as it was in time when you accepted "illegal" contract. Someone told you that mercenary's life is easy? Don't believe him ...
If you will meet a pirate, he can try "Tax you" no matter what you are doing at that moment. You can pay or fight (or flee) ... this looks easy, right? But also pirates can be your good customers! They usually have enough resources, so you might expect good payments.
Encounter with smuggler. Well, they are not direct threat to you, but their wealth offers them possibility to be yours best customer or yours worst nightmare. If you will work with officers (pirates) against them, then you can expect that they will not like you much and can issue (public) bounties on you regularly.
An encounter with other mercenary: here it might be interesting. In some situation you can hire another mercenary for different tasks and he will work for you. But after he fulfill his contract, he can join the opposite side and you will be killing each other. It sounds as fun, right? 
Specific situation can be when you will chase someone with bounty and another mercenary arrive on scene ... be ready, you can be unexpectedly attacked ("competition"), every mercenary want get bounty!
You think that you now know all about the mercenary life? Yes? … No, you do not know ... is almost sure that you will need to deal with many small but important details in this RP. Experience, skills and reputation is what can help you here most.
