Born and raised on Gran Quivera, the son of a upper-middle class merchant, Porter was never sure what to do with his life as he went through school.  The thought of following in his father's footsteps trying to compete with Vrusk conglomerates was the last thing he wanted.  No other commercial or industrial jobs seemed to peak his interest, either.

Then the Sathar attacked.  Porter joined the UPF Marines at age 17 and after basic training was assigned to a Reconnaissance Force.  He quickly took to military life, content to follow orders and live by the regimen of a marine.  His natural perceptiveness and agility served him well as a scout.  While he didn't see much combat action in the brief war, he did get to travel to several planets and was involved in the final push against a group of Sathar-allied space pirates on Kdikit, Madderly's Star system.  He received an award for bravery for leading a relief force of reinforcements and medical teams around an ambush, then assisting as Captain Dreshtana set an ambush for the ambushers.

After the war, Porter re-enlisted with the Marines, but without a war, he was getting rather bored with endless training and rear echelon duties.  So he started pulling strings, working the system (he found out he had a knack for that, being able to outguess the illogical bureaucratic system of the military), and got himself assigned as a tracker and guide with Star Law.

Porter is level-headed and modest.  He is quick to talk about his service in the Sathar War, but never mentions his commendation for bravery, and tends to grow quiet if anyone else brings it up.  He doesn't consider himself a hero, but the soldiers he helped lead into and out of danger think otherwise.  He's a lifer in the Marines, but he's enjoying the chance to work with Star Law.