On Charging for Character's Services

I'm a little confused on some of the character service costs. In the book it says that 1-barter will get you:

"an act of murder, extortion, threat or violence executed by a
battlebabe, chopper or gunlugger."

But will also get you

"a week’s employment of a battlebabe or gunlugger as bodyguard,
gang leader, or thug-on-hand."

Assuming that employment or bodyguarding will likely involve violence, threats, and murder, how does this resolve? If I hire a chopper for a week, and he kills someone while protecting me, does he get to charge me an additional barter for each person he kills? Or each act of violence he commits?

Similar things come up with the savvyhead and the angel. If I pay for an Angel to be on call for a month, do I also have to pay for each successful resuscitation that she does within that time frame?

To me, the former option seems like a one time charge, unless I ask for a specific person to be killed or a specific show of force beyond watching my back. The latter option seems multiple charges, in that yes, you pay me to be on call, but you also pay me for the work I do (or at least cover the material expenses).

Thoughts?

I think the one is assassin-work and the other is bodyguard-work.  Like this:

Hey, Balls, will you kill Rolfball for me?  I'll give you this box of canned hams.

Hey, Balls, will you hang around me, look tough, and make sure nobody offs me this week?  I'll give you this box of canned hams.

Balls' estimation of the likelihood of being wasted in the line of getting the canned hams is going to factor in, right?  Like if you just fucked the hardholder's mom and lit his car on fire and Balls knows it, he might want more than some ham to pull your ass out of the fire.  Like if Rolfball is the head of a huge gang of mutant bikers.

Similarly, if you hire him as a bodyguard and then announce you're going to attack Rolfball's mutant gang tonight and Balls has to come along, he may feel that he was deceived.

But the base assumption is a pretty normal situation where a bodyguard expects only a slim chance that he'll have to fight in any given week, versus the assassin who knows that the job involves killing someone who may not want to die.  If that assumption isn't true, and Balls knows it, then the price ought to change.

That makes a balls load of sense.

Still not sure about the Angel thing though. If you pay to have them on call, are you expected to pay them for each resuscitation too? I get paying them for stock spent, but paying them again every time they do what you hired them to do seems odd. Is the "successful resuscitation" kind of like a "I don't know you. You want me to save him? What have you got for me?" sort of thing?

about the angel: being "on call" simply means that
a) if they need your help you'd help them asap, assuming that they will provide material costs
b) you'd be around in time if someone needs to be pulled back from "death", though after you did it, it probably will cost extra.

think of real-world health insurance. they give you a number so you can call them in case you have health problems. it does not mean that hospitalizing (full around-the-clock care) or ICU usage (resuscitation) won't cost extra ? but it does mean, that you'd get a chance to pay that price instead of just lying on your back and slowly dying.

I think the angel thing is just like the bodyguard thing.

Hey, Doc, you're a useful guy to have around, and this is a dangerous town.  If you'll be my personal doc for the week I'll have Plum here do things to you with her mouth that you'll never forget.

Hey, Doc, Balls has this meatcleaver thing in his back and he's making noises like he might die.  If you patch him up I'll get Plum here to do things to you with her mouth that you'll never forget.

The first situation is a gamble for the doc.  If you don't get your ass shot off that week then the roll in the hay is free.  If you do, damn, he's gotta pay up in sweet narcostabs and gauze.

The second situation has a certain cost, but at least it's quick.  He gets a go at Plum and he doesn't have to put up with your shit all week, but he's definitely out some narcostabs and gauze.

If you hire him as your personal doc and don't mention that you're going to go fight Rolfball's mutant biker gang tomorrow, then Doc might feel he's been deceived.

Ten of Swords' examples are pure gold.