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Are there any instances where Space Marines have taken contracts in exchange for money, resources, or other forms of payment, much akin to mercenaries/bounty hunters? Is it possible?

I think many chaos warbands start as "independent" renegades, so there are instances where Marines have forsaken the imperium for personoal gain

The Carcharodons have the 'Grey Tithe', where they trade Archaeotech to the Adeptus Mechanicus for new weapons and equipment, and they also trade with the Renegade Ashen Claws for initiates and equipment

Also, as.Waaaghbert said, some non-Chaos Renegades freelance, supporting renegade Governors and the like.

There are also failed aspirants who got the physique and a degree of training, but otherwise washed out for some reason, and instead of serving their chapter as a serf (a pretty good job all things considered) instead left.

It's not unreasonable, but such deals would often be made to look a bit more noble with big words. Marines are proud and wouldn't take well to being offered cold hard cash like a common mercenary.

Thus the Governor didn't just hire a company of Marines, he gave them gifts in thanks for their help in resolving the emergency. Gifts worthy of the marines that showcase how much they helped the IoM by making sure the world runs smoothly.

Carlovonsexron wrote:
There are also failed aspirants who got the physique and a degree of training, but otherwise washed out for some reason, and instead of serving their chapter as a serf (a pretty good job all things considered) instead left.

Any examples?

There are many tales of Renegade Space Marines. They're space marines who have forsaken their oaths to the Imperium, and might not have necessarily turned to chaos. This of course still makes them just as much traitors as those who have fallen to chaos.

A lone space marine would of course have extreme difficulty in procuring supplies. His armor would slowly be falling into disrepair as he couldn't just buy new parts. He'd have to exist on the fridge, working with more lawless aspects of human civilization who don't care/don't know about him being a traitor. Maybe with a Rogue Trader who would have the clout and $ to keep a pet rogue space marine. Bolter ammo is rare and expensive, so he'd probably have to resort to using other weapons much of the time. Ogryn weaponry would probably work well for a marine.

Renegade space marines do tend to eventually fall in with chaos. And it seems that its rarely just 1 space marine who does it. A single marine in a chapter of others who stay loyal would find it difficult to slip away unnoticed. A couple squads or a whole company that has access to a space ship would find it easier to disappear. IIRC there was a short story in one of the Omnibuses that had a company of marines that was in a pretty crappy combat situation, and the survivors decided they were all gonna desert and flee to the Eye.

Given how big the Imperium is I think a small amount of Renegades could comfortably live as mercenaries for less devout planetary governors as the supplies they need could go missing easily enough and hiring rogue Marines is way less dodgy than alternatives like Orks and Eldar.

A lot of good posts here. In the old school Rogue Trader days there were a lot of stories about rogue marines. The fluff went a different direction though. I will say in modern fluff theres definitely room for that kind of a story. I would agree that Marines wouldn't work for just cash. Rare artifacts or a debt of honor would fit.

I was just wondering because I just started to watch the Mandalorian and one of his contracts that we see in the show is paid for in...

round peg meet square hole.

Space Wolves give whole squads to organizations giving them useful services, which is form of mercenary work, so, yeah, if first founding chapter does that anyone can: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wolfblade

 Irbis wrote:
Space Wolves give whole squads to organizations giving them useful services, which is form of mercenary work, so, yeah, if first founding chapter does that anyone can: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wolfblade

Wolfblades aren't really mercenaries though. It's like saying that the Deathwatch are mercenaries.

pm713 wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
Space Wolves give whole squads to organizations giving them useful services, which is form of mercenary work, so, yeah, if first founding chapter does that anyone can: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wolfblade

Wolfblades aren't really mercenaries though. It's like saying that the Deathwatch are mercenaries.

Yeah, they're more an honour guard than anything else.

pm713 wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
Space Wolves give whole squads to organizations giving them useful services, which is form of mercenary work, so, yeah, if first founding chapter does that anyone can: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wolfblade

Wolfblades aren't really mercenaries though. It's like saying that the Deathwatch are mercenaries.

Why not? Deathwatch works for the state. It's like going from US army to Delta Force. Wolfblade is working for private family, much like Blackwater mercenaries. That is by definition mercenary work, even if it pays for chapter 'official' activities. Compare it with Ultramarine Honour Company (combined force of XIII Legion successors stationed near Eye of Terror) which is real honour guard performing official state business for contrast.

 Irbis wrote:

pm713 wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
Space Wolves give whole squads to organizations giving them useful services, which is form of mercenary work, so, yeah, if first founding chapter does that anyone can: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wolfblade

Wolfblades aren't really mercenaries though. It's like saying that the Deathwatch are mercenaries.

Why not? Deathwatch works for the state. It's like going from US army to Delta Force. Wolfblade is working for private family, much like Blackwater mercenaries. That is by definition mercenary work, even if it pays for chapter 'official' activities. Compare it with Ultramarine Honour Company (combined force of XIII Legion successors stationed near Eye of Terror) which is real honour guard performing official state business for contrast.

It's closer to protecting key figures in the function of the army. Besides House Belisarius works for the state as well. Everyone does.

The Ultramarines honour guard seems pointless and just posturing. They're not really performing state business in the same way that assigning a single soldier to defend the entirety of east america isn't really defending anything.

Plenty of reasons marines could behave like this. Renegade aren’t always chaos tainted or aligned. Sole survivors of a chapter lost in a war zone, marines cut off for centuries without support or result having to earn their keep. With the rift things like this are even more explainable.

pm713 wrote:
It's closer to protecting key figures in the function of the army. Besides House Belisarius works for the state as well. Everyone does.

So what if they work for state? It's still private dealings between two organizations. If the US president hired a few soldiers on the side to do his chores, it would have nothing to do with state work, it would still be his private gig. See the indictment hearings, one of the charges is precisely about that.

pm713 wrote:
The Ultramarines honour guard seems pointless and just posturing. They're not really performing state business in the same way that assigning a single soldier to defend the entirety of east america isn't really defending anything.

A ) I fail to see how sending extra SM to reinforce Cadia is posturing, B ) according to you defending a single planet is equivalent of the entire USA? What? If anything, it's like US army detaching a few squads to protect US embassy in Iraq (which was done last 15 years at least)...

The comparison doesn't really work. The way the Imperium works is radically different to the US. For example the US can't just go "There's a chance that Dallas is infected by a disease so we're going to raze it to the ground." The Imperium can and does.
But...private dealings between organisations is what the Deathwatch is as well.

1. It's posturing because a single company isn't going to make a difference there especially with 18 Chapters stationed there permanently for the specific job of guarding the Eye. 2. That's not what I said at all.

 Irbis wrote:
Wolfblade is working for private family, much like Blackwater mercenaries. That is by definition mercenary work, even if it pays for chapter 'official' activities.

It does depend a bit on exactly who they work for and why.

Many Chapters provide a few marines as honor guards to their favored Navigator Families, for example - they're not mercenaries, they are bodyguards making sure their allies can continue providing them great service.

Rogue Traders sometimes pick up a company of marines as well, but no one would call them mercenaries. They aid the RT because he once helped them (debt of honor) and he brings them to places where they can fight the enemies of mankind.

Really, think about our world. Is a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan, training Afghan troops, a mercenary? No - he's fulfilling US aims by aiding someone else.