In the year 2012, the era of the nation-state is drawing to a close. The nations of the future increasingly have turned to private military companies, also known as PMCs, to aid in their defense. These elite mercenaries provide clear benefits to the nations that engage them, but they also tend to take a rather lax view of the law. Even so, the Reykjavik Accords have authorized the PMCs' right to serve in every aspect of military operations. As the PMCs' role is further legitimized and their influence grows, concerns have begun to mount. Have the PMCs been granted too much power? And, if so, what will the consequences be for the world?