Adeptus Arbites

The laws of the Imperium are a complex web of tradition, obligation, and local custom. Thus, they can vary from world to world or sector to sector, with each planetary governor, local prefect, or headman pronouncing his own laws. Arbitrators care little for such trivialities, and enforce the serious crimes against the Imperium while leaving such petty matters to local officials. Murder or theft, for example, are considered inconsequential unless they affect the Imperium directly, are perpetrated against Imperial officials, or somehow fundamentally threaten a world’s security or safety.

Arbitrators have little pity or compassion for the transgressions of Imperial citizens. Years of dealing with the scum of the galaxy has made many of them cynical and bitter. Others have become zealots, seeing the Emperor’s hand in the letter of the law and believing anyone who would break it deserves only death. A few might maintain idealistic notions for bringing order to the Imperium, but the realities of endless—sometimes horrific—crimes constantly erode such notions. The arrival of an Arbitrator patrol is seldom welcome, given the brutal way in which they operate during their investigations, arrests, and executions, even though it might mean an end to vicious criminal enterprises.

An Arbitrator must deal with ineffectual or corrupt local agencies. These are often an Arbitrator’s greatest foes as they must clean up a local situation, taking over the unfit local law enforcement of a hive city, orbital station, or even entire planet to purge it of crime and corruption in a series of bloody and unforgiving sweeps.

On Imperial worlds, the Adeptus Arbites is the last, most absolute law, answering only to its commanders and the Judges of systems and sectors, and not to local authorities. It is a thankless task, for the anonymous, helmeted Arbitrator usually receives only fear and hatred for their actions. They and their cohorts are the final bulwark against heretical uprisings and other major threats. Their precinct-fortress is the often last bastion of Imperial rule during revolutions or invasions, holding out to the very end whilst alerting outside agencies of the dire situation. Each member knows that should they fall, so follows the planet. To merely survive in such a hostile environment, Arbitrators must show no hesitation, regret, or compassion for those they protect, and they must consider every citizen guilty until proven innocent.

The Adeptus Arbites faces a monumental task in enforcing the law across countless Imperial worlds. Those that take the oaths, don the carapace armour, and wield the shock maul are often obsessive and pitiless individuals, men and women who see the law as an extension of the Emperor’s will upon His subjects, and its enforcement their sacred duty. Whether they are skilled in combat or possessed of a keen mind, Arbitrators know they face an implacable and remorseless foe, one which they must counter with all the talents at their command. To be part of this agency is to be apart from their original surroundings, for after training in the Schola Progenium, Arbitrators are never assigned to the world of their birth. They are beyond local authorities, serving none but higher Imperial law. Once a man puts on the distinctive dark armour he stops being merely a man, and is now a representative of the greater Imperium upon a world, there to ensure planetary compliance with Imperial law.

Arbitrators are always engaged in investigation and enforcement, for crime never sleeps. The surrounding populace overwhelmingly outnumbers them, so it is essential to detect and crush crime before it grows too strong. On many worlds, they bring massive firepower to bear at the slightest hint of resistance, often reacting to crimes before they occur, and pre-emptively arresting citizens who are “at risk” of become criminals. Skilled Arbitrators are masters of urban conflict and crowd control, with an instinctive understanding of Imperial societies such as the packed hab-blocks
of an overpopulated Hive World or the savage villages of a feral world, and the differing tactics needed to police them.

Arbitrators often tap local vox-networks, develop networks of spies and informants, and even infiltrate suspect organisations to snare the lawless in surgical strikes, where their superior weaponry and training can prevail over larger forces. Such investigations require long hours of dedicated detective work, patience, and cunning to root out violations of Imperial law amidst the myriad other offences against lesser authorities. Their lives are often at risk, and not just from their obvious criminal quarry. During the course of an investigation, all manner of things might come to light, including the secrets of powerful individuals. In these cases, Arbitrators can face more danger from a supposedly loyal ally than the scum they pursue.