The Harbor Authority

The Harbor Authority administers dock operations and refuge at Last Harbor, the first dependable port reached by vessels leaving the Shatter. Its first rule is shelter before questioning. Exhausted crews receive a safe berth, medical care, fuel, and repair access before inspection proceeds, because testimony taken at the dock is less reliable than an account given after recovery.

Damaged or uncertain vessels are routed to independent safety berths where the Authority can isolate a vessel without closing the station. When a failure inquiry opens, its testimony and technical evidence remain closed until the inquiry is complete. Nothing is released in the interval to owners, underwriters, or Eirenor. The Authority has accepted financial losses to maintain that boundary, arguing that a crew expecting immediate disclosure will edit its account and leave the next convoy with a false description of the crossing.

The Authority governs intake, berth assignment, and port operations under Edrane’s external warrant. Edrane represents Last Harbor, supplies the binding authority behind its orders, and may enforce compliance through convoy access. The Authority therefore exercises delegated administration rather than sovereignty. It holds no territory beyond the station, does not govern the Far Reach destinations served by its docks, and cannot bind Edrane outside the refuge process.

Its leverage is practical. Convoys beyond the Shatter depend on a port able to shelter damaged ships and return them to service. Owners and governments may contest a delay or a closed inquiry, but disabling the process would make every later crossing less safe. That dependence protects the Authority’s method while traffic continues, without turning an essential harbor into a regional government.