How much authority do (Nobles, Military Commanders, Merc Commanders) actually have to order units around in their realm of power?
Nobles have defined powers as well as obligations. The Dukes you mentioned have a lot of leeway in their ability to attack their neighbor but they also accept the consequences of their actions, such as a failed mission losing an excess number of units, which impairs their ability to fulfil their obligations.
Military commanders have far more limits on their actions. Military operations incur costs that have to be accounted for. Bullets and Field Rations have to be budgeted, which is why governments often spend months arguing over budgets as military expenditures are usually low on the list of priorities during times of peace. A military, like every other government agency, is a large number of unproductive employees. Military regulars rarely are allowed to act independently (yes, there are exceptions in the BTU) and mobilization is almost always an order from higher echelons, approved by even higher authorities.
Mercenaries base their actions on the limits of their contracts. Executing a cross-border raid and saying "The contract didn't expressly forbid it." is a violation of the contract as well as an act of piracy, as the raid outside of the employer's jurisdiction was not sanctioned. Mercenary contracts have all types of clauses, including various levels of Command rights: Independent, Liaison , House and Integrated. Independent would be the only applicable case, as the Mercenary commander is given full reign on actions in the theater of action, so a guerilla fighting contract wouldn't allow the merc unit to skip off and raid another world while under contract. Independent also means the Mercenary commander is fully responsible and accepts the consequences of errors or violations of laws committed.
In the case of Mercs, do you think that is an unpaid action outside of the Garrison contract or do you think there is some sort of clause for allowing some/all of the unit to take a secondary contract for a Raid?
Taking multiple, concurrent contracts, especially during an active contract, where the mission requirements of one or both of the contracts might conflict would probably be frowned upon, although an employer may allow it as it mean any event that causes a default on the part of the mercenaries would nullify the payment.
The "Retainer" contract is only supposed to be "Defensive" missions so its hard to put a "Raid" in that form.
Correct.
In regards to Militia, how often do you think they are ordered off world in support of Line units.
Very rare but under emergency conditions, possible. Most planetary militias don't have integral lift assets to travel off world, so it would depend on who foots the bill.
I feel like the Army Reserves seems to have a lot of Reserve units getting activated in the last 30 years now & I've heard of Battalion & Brigade commanders that actually volunteer to have their units chosen to get activated.
Reserve units are Reserve units and they are activated by the requirements and mission of the Regular Army, which also requires complimentary budgeting for pay, transport and supplies. From a Reserve site:
“As a Reservist, you could potentially be deployed while serving your country. There is no formula for determining who will deploy or when, where or for how long. It comes down to what occupational specialties and operational units are needed at any given time, and who is best qualified and ready to serve those needs.”
What would be the legal ramifications of a Merc Noble deploying part of the Militia in support of a unit contract?
It really depends on the details of the contract. You may want to go over the various sections of Merc contracts.
So its a thought/idea that came up but just curious what kind of issues, good or bad, could be involved.
Without permission of the planetary authority, taking a military asset out of its jurisdiction would be out of the question, especially for to fulfil another contract. Merc contracts spell out what unit is hired and training a Militia unit is not actual command of that unit -The Militia commander has a chain of command required to approve drawing out equipment and supplies and account for every paperclip.
In RL, more soldiers die during training than in combat, which gives you an idea on how low-scale combat currently is...Nobody wants to be the last man to die before a war ends.
