[JPSeraph]

I don't think that mercenaries are irrelevant; far from it. But fleeing=dying seems kind of hoaky and is very annoying if you've invested heavily in a good mercenary company (such as Orion).

I don't see a problem with the mercenary queue being clogged since unhired mercs tend to disappear (into oblivion apparently) if left there for a few turns.

Perhaps if we see it differently, it's because we play the game differently (I prefer long, drawn out SP games).