Officer-cadet (Dirigent Mercenary Corps)

I must confess to never having read about mercenaries in anything other than a holy negative light before now, but this one changes that around entirely. They are, if not the good guys, just doing their jobs, and doing them professionally and fulfilling their contracts. Grist for the mill, maybe - not exactly a five-star sci-fi wonder, but enjoyable enough to at least keep the remaining titles on the shelf for a rainy day.