Infractionist

‘Kill ‘im? Why? Revenge? There’s no profit in revenge. No, we leave ‘im where he is, live and sweating. One day, we may need an Enforcer’s help, eh? That day, I’ll show ‘im a few picts I got of the things he done. He’ll fold. His type always do.’

— Cutter Arlan of the Ten Truths Syndicate, Hive Skarthius

As the Imperium strives to find a utility for every servant of the God Emperor, there are some who slip between the web of endless toil and servitude.Those who reject or have been severed from society, who dwell in the darkest corners of civilisation, who the Imperium has ground under foot, chewed and spat out, or deemed as collateral damage. Apostates, convicts, gangers, and murderers. Fallen nobles, Imperial deserters, and confidence men. These citizens all come under the collective designation of Infractionists. They know their souls are unsalvageable, for what they’ve done or for simply who they are in the eyes of the powerful.

Infractionists know that the Imperium’s authorities do not look kindly on those who act outside its laws. That the Imperium sees them as a problem to be solved or as leeches suckling on the resources they fight hard to protect, or simply as extra bodies to one day be tithed. Pessimists amongst them may not see a way out of this life, but those with even a spark of ambition learn quickly that they’ll never have a future handed to them: they must take it for themselves.

Did you fall from grace, tumbling down into the depths of an Underhive, or were you born there? Maybe you fell in with a gang before you even knew it, started smuggling stolen goods or collecting for a protection racket. Did you try your best, toiling away for years in a manufactorum or serving on a ship, only to find yourself still at the bottom of society? Are you deadly with a sidearm from defending your life every day, for decades? Did you see the hypocrisy rife within the Imperium and decided to reject it? Or saw yourself as utterly incompatible with Humanity at large. Maybe you’re anchored by inescapable habits or haunted by a pain that won’t go away. Or are these all excuses you’ve collected, as justification for you to do whatever you want, and take from whoever you wish. You might think of yourself as a write-off, but that doesn’t mean you’re not useful to someone.

Your duties now only concern your own survival. You need to eat, you need a place to sleep, you need a heavy door to keep out others like yourself. Clean air and water may well be a luxury wherever you are. Beyond that, you might have debts that need to be repaid, and a painful deadline if you come up short. You may still serve a gang, people you’ve bled with that you see as family, who need to be protected. Maybe you’re digging out intel on your next big score, the one that’s supposed to set you up for life.

Down in the gutter, working a hustle, is likely where your new Patron found you. They might have offered you a deal you could not pass up, to clear those debts, to protect your extended family, or rescue you from the reach of the law. They most likely value you for your lack of morals, your ability to work and think outside of the Imperium’s laws. Your knowledge and streetcraft may be invaluable to them. This patron believes they have you under their thumb, but what do they know? Even with someone footing your bill, you’re still always looking out for number one.