Chaos - Those Who Live Without: The first group of those the Imperium brand as "Heretics" are those who live beyond Imperial control by living outside the boundaries of the Imperium of Man itself. Though the Imperium is vast, its authority stretching from rim to rim of the galaxy, in reality there are vast swaths of space unknown to the Imperium of Man.These regions have many names, including but by no means restricted to, the "Outlands," "Wilderness Space," and the "Halo Stars." Within them, whole civilisations can rise, prosper, and fall, without once knowing of the wider Imperium that surrounds them.Just as the Imperium is vast beyond proper comprehension, so too are the Renegade warbands too many and diverse to ever properly catalogue or define. Some may be feral tribes existing on worlds deemed too insignificant to warrant an Imperial presence, their only contact limited to ambitious missionaries of the Imperial Creed and periodic orbital surveys by passing patrols.Others may be independent starships, mining operations, and whole colonies existing in regions too difficult for Imperial voidships to reach. On occasion entire star systems that have been isolated by Warp Storms for centuries re-establish contact with the outside universe and sensibly opt to keep themselves hidden from the Imperium.The Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus exists amongst the edges of the galaxy, an established bastion of Imperial control amongst the hazy borders. Thus, it is surrounded by regions of space not under Imperial control. The most prominent is the Koronus Expanse in the Halo Stars, linked to the Calixis Sector by a fluctuating Warp passage known as the Koronus Passage or "the Maw."Beyond this passage, Imperial rule ends, and all manner of Human civilisations exist unknown and undiscovered. However, there are other outlands around the Calixis Sector as well, including the Hazeroth Abyss, the fringes of the Drusus Marches Sub-sector, and the nomad space between the Calixis and bordering Ixaniad Sector.These Renegades are as varied as the regions of space they occupy. Some come from the savage worlds of the Koronus Expanse such as Naduesh and Vaporius. Others hail from nomad or heretical clans such as the Meritech Pirate Clans that waged war against the Calixis Sector and were exterminated for their pains many centuries ago.Many of the outlander clans that populate these regions hold that they have survived because they learned to honour the Ruinous Powers, firmly believing that their sacrifices to the Dark Gods bring bounty into their otherwise barren existence.Powerful psyker-dynasties dominate some of these groups, and others claim to be parties to daemonic pacts forged by their ancestors when the Emperor still walked among the living. Frequently these peoples take the form of extended clans that share their knowledge only through their blood relatives, maintaining a level of know-how about ancient technologies or local Warpspace conditions that astounds outsiders.The Adeptus Mechanicus is particularly sensitive to the existence of such Hereteks (of which those in the Meritech Clans are a particularly egregious example) and press other Imperial authorities to mobilise and capture or kill them as a matter of priority.Even though some of these groups can trace an unbroken chain of antecedents reaching all the way back to the Age of Strife, Imperial authorities view them all as smugglers, pirates, and Renegades. Battlefleet Calixis and other detachments of the Imperial Navy (such as Battlefleet Ixaniad) destroy unregistered voidships as a matter of course, and eliminate known "pirate haunts" whenever they can.In consequence many Renegade clans have learned to be extremely wary of taking actions that reveal their existence to the Imperium, and when they must do so they often use elaborate measures to disguise their activities.The ranks of the Renegades are constantly being swelled by those driven out by the Imperium's policies; deposed nobles, defeated warriors, disillusioned theocrats, failing merchants, mutants, and unsanctioned psykers all find refuge in Wilderness Space.It is a savage existence. Many seize anything its owner cannot protect as a matter of course, although they respect armed strength and they understand how to deal for mutual profit. A clever and well-armed Renegade can soon establish himself as a king on a Feral World with connections to local pirate clans, and from there his ambitions might take him back into Imperial space to burn and plunder.Renegades like these are particularly abhorrent individuals to Imperial eyes as they exploit their knowledge of the Imperium's defences to lead attacks against vulnerable trade routes and colonies.Certain Renegade communities co-operate with alien races for mutual profit, especially in common opposition to the Imperium. Ork mercenaries, Aeldari Corsairs or Stryxis traders (in the case of those settlements within the Koronus Expanse) may be frequent visitors at some Renegade settlements.Within some alien empires whole enclaves of Humans exist ruled by xenos overlords that grant them freedom for their loyalty. It is impossible to say what bargaining and gifts may have been necessary to convince aliens to work with Humans, although it may be that merely cursing the God-Emperor and his Imperium was sufficient for some.The dangerous taint of zealotry and xenophobia remains strong about all Humans, however, leading to some demand for their use as bodyguards among alien traders that enjoy intimidating their non-Human clients.Smuggling xenostech into the Imperium, along with other illicit goods, is a profitable activity, and the so-called Cold Trade into the Calixis and neighbouring sectors from the Halo Stars is dangerously profitable in the eyes of the Inquisition’s Ordo Calixis.Rogue Traders and Chartist Captains can turn vast profits by meeting up with Renegades in out-of-the-way star systems. There they can trade with them for goods that fetch vastly inflated prices in the Imperium. The risks are high and not only because the Imperial authorities may attempt to impound their ship and strip them of their license if they catch them.Reaver pirate clans sometimes simply cut out the middleman and seize a trader's cargo at the rendezvous. Dealing with Renegades is always a risky business as good relations with one group will not extend protection from all of them.Individual Renegades sometimes slip into Imperial space to pursue their trade, but they find it a dangerous place to live. If caught and identified, they are tortured and executed by the Inquisition with no hope of mercy.Memory blocks and synaptic tampering are used by some groups (particularly the heretic Vaol Clans of the Drusus Marches Periphery) to protect their operatives -- or, more accurately, the friends and loved ones they would put at risk if captured.