Port Wander

Port Wander is a massive void station on the uttermost edge of the Drusus Marches Sub-sector of the Calixis Sector, rightly regarded as the last bastion of the rule of the Emperor this side of the Koronus Expanse and the last stop before entering the Halo Worlds.

Overview
Standing sentry at the gates of the Maw, Port Wander is the last outpost of Imperial law and order on the far rimward side of the Calixis Sector.

The Footfall Affair
As Battlefleet Koronus's operations in the Expanse grow, its warships come into increasing conflict with those already there. Though these certainly include the Expanse's native inhabitants, there are those nominally affiliated with the Imperium -- such as more than a few Rogue Traders -- who find the Navy's presence disruptive to their plans. Amongst these individuals, one incident stands out as particularly infamous. A half-century ago, a pirate wolfpack began operating through the Maw. The pirates raided around Port Wander, then would flee with their loot through the Passage to Footfall, where they claimed two of the outer hab asteroids as their base. One of these marauders was actually a Rogue Trader who turned to piracy to supplement his meagre fortunes, and the powers of Footfall showed little interest in dislodging him.

As the situation persisted, a coalition of brokerage houses and mercantile interests led by House Krin petitioned the Navy to take action and protect their interests. The newly promoted Admiral Nathaniel Horne (the current commanding officer of Battlefleet Koronus) agreed to aid them. However, instead of reinforcing the patrols around Port Wander, Horne took direct action. A task force consisting of the cruisers Gryphon, Sirius, and Gethsemane, escorted by a reinforced squadron of frigates and destroyers, travelled to Furibundus and attacked the pirates directly. The resulting battle quickly devolved a confused melee, with Battlefleet warships dodging amongst the asteroids of Footfall while exchanging point-blank broadsides with pirates. Besides the pirate Rogue Trader, several other Rogue Traders and free captains found themselves drawn into the battle, often unsure just whose side they were on.

Though the Gethsemane and frigate Pride of Vaxenhide took heavy damage and Cobras X-11 and X-24 were lost, the Navy destroyed a dozen pirate vessels, shattered their hab asteroids, and sent the scattered remnants fleeing deep into the Expanse. Other Rogue Traders including Aspyce Chorda and Elizabeth Orleans raised a flurry of protests against the Navy’s "heavy-handed and barbaric actions," which the Imperial Adeptus ignored, tacitly approving Horne’s actions and giving him free reign for operations deeper into the Expanse. In the following years, many have speculated that this was the Admiral's goal all along.

Law on Port Wander
As it is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Navy, law enforcement aboard Port Wander is, on paper at least, the purview of the Naval Provost and the naval arm of the Commissariat. Unfortunately, the majority population aboard is civilian and not bound to the rules and regulations of the navy, which causes no end of difficulty for those trying to enforce the law. Due to this state of affairs, the Navy tends to ignore civilian matters except where they directly affect the Navy and the administration of the port, such as crimes perpetrated against naval personnel and materiel. Instead, they focus their attention on making sure that all Naval personnel aboard obey Naval regulations and follow Naval law and largely leave the civilians to fend for themselves. This leaves a vacuum that the Adeptus Arbites have stepped into, deploying a small precinct of Arbitrators to the station.