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'Hands on your heads！' Fischig ordered the crewmen as he bundled me out of the hatch and into the blizzard。
I could barely walk and he had to support me。
'You poisoned me；' I gasped。
'I had to make it convincing。 Aemos prepared a dose that would reactivate the binary poison in your body。 Pye's poison。'
'You bastards！'
'Hah！ A man who can curse is far from dead。 Come on！'
He half…carried me across the shingle into the oceanic gale； snowflakes stinging our faces。 Lights swooped down ahead of us as the
gun…cutter came in； executing a perfect； Betancore…style landing on the icy shingle。
Fischig bundled me up the landing ramp into the arms of Bequin and Inshabel。
'Dear lord； have you thought this through？' I wheezed。
'Of course we have！' Bequin snapped。 'Nathun！ Get a booster shot of antivenin！'
FOR THE SECOND time in under two years； I was dead。 From binary poison at the hands of Beldame Sadia's henchmen on Lethe； and
now； dead in a shuttle…crash； brought down in a winter…storm over the Caducades on Cadia。
The gun…cutter lofted from the beach； ran the length of it； and then came back towards the downed shuttle。
May the Emperor forgive me and my staff for the deaths of Riggre and the two flight crew。 Their deaths were the only way I could
maintain my security。
'Fire；' I heard Nayl tell Medea。
The gun…cutter's ordnance strafed the Cadian shuttle and blew it apart。 By dawn； the jetsam along the remote islet's shore would
suggest nothing but a tragic crash caused by the hellish storms。
WE BANKED UP through the cover of the storms towards orbital space。 Though no one told me； I knew our flight plan was covered by
someone else's authority code。
Neve's was my guess。 Probably with her permission。
The Essene was waiting for us。
'Now what？' I asked Fischig hoarsely。
'Dammit； I've risked everything I count dear to get you this far；' he replied。 'I was kind of hoping you'd know what to do now。'
'Cinchare；' I said。 'Tell Maxilla to get us to Cinchare。'
THERE ARE SOME secrets that are worth keeping。
'What's at Cinchare？' Bequin asked。
'An old friend；' I said。
'Not a friend； exactly；' added Aemos。
'No。 Aemos is right。 An old associate。'
'Two old associates； to be specific；' Aemos added。
'Bequin pulled a particularly angry face。 'You pair and your old intimacies。 Why don't you ever give a straight answer？'
'Because the less you kno you if we're caught；' I said。
'THE NEW LEAN you；' syruped Maxilla as I walked onto the Essene's bridge。
I had shaved away my beard； had my ragged hair clipped back； and dressed in a suit of black linen after my shower。 I was still terribly
weak on my feet and in no mind for Maxilla's foolery。
'Course is set for Cinchare；' Maxilla said stiffly； apparently recognising my mood。 His gold…masked servitors chimed in agreement。
His hooded navigator； all senses fixed on some different； quite other place； said nothing。
'I have a question；' said Inshabel。 He was seated at secondary navigation position； reviewing the star…maps。 'Why Cinchare？ A mining
world out in the edges of the Segmentum； almost a Halo Star。 I thought we'd be trying to find Quixos。'
'There's no point。'
'What？' Maxilla and Inshabel asked； almost in unison。
I sat down on a padded leather seat。 'Why make the endeavour to find Quixos when he would surely kill us at a stroke？ We've barely
survived individual encounters with two of his daemonhosts。 We haven't the strength to fight him。'
'So？' asked Inshabel。
'So the first thing we do is find the strength。 Prepare。 Arm ourselves。 Make ourselves ready to take down one of the most powerful
evils in the Imperium。'
'And for that we need to go to Cinchare？' Inshabel whispered。
'Cinchare's the start； Nathun；' I said。 'Trust me。'
SEVENTEEN
ROGUE STAR。
DOCTOR SAVINE； CORA AND MR HORN。
IN THE ANNEX。
EVEN AT FULL warp； it took the Essene thirty weeks to reach Cinchare。
True； we took a circuitous route； avoiding all possible encounters with the forces of the Imperium。 I hated that。 For once； I hated the
subterfuge。
We learned； indirectly； a few weeks into the voyage； that my escape from Cadia had been discovered。 The Inquisition … and other
agencies … were hunting me。 I had been formally declared Heretic and Extremis Diabolus。 Lord Rorken had finally counter…signed
Osma's carta。
I was now something I had never been before。
A fugitive。 A renegade。 And in aiding me； my band of comrades had made themselves fugitives too。
We had a few scrapes。 Refuelling at Mallid； we were discovered and pursued by an unidentified warship which we lost in the
empyrean。 At Avignor； a squadron of Ecclesiarchy battle…boats； standing picket watch along the border of the diocese； tried to run us
to ground。 We only escaped that one thanks to a combination of Maxilla's shipcraft and Medea's fighting nous。
On Trexia Beta； Nayl and Fischig ran across a band of arbites hunters while they were trying to hire an astropath。 They never told me
how many they had been forced to kill； but it sat badly with them for weeks。
On Anemae Gulfward； Bequin succeeded in obtaining the services of an astropath； a sickly female called Tasaera Ungish。 When
Ungish found out who I was； she begged to be returned to her backwater world。 It took a long time to convince her that she was in no
danger from me。 I had to open my mind to her in the end。
At Oet's Star； we were discovered by an Inquisitor Frontalle during a resupply layover。 As it was with Riggre and the Cadian pilots； I
will always be haunted by those necessary deaths。 I tried to reason with Frontalle。 I tried very hard。 A young man； he believed that
taking me down was the key to a famous career。 Eisenhorn the Heretic； he kept calling me。 They were the last words on his lips when
I pitched him into the geothermal heating exchanger。
From Trexia Beta onwards； there was an almost permanent rumour that a kill…team of the Ordo Malleus's Grey Knights was hunting
us。 And the Ordo Xenos's Deathwatch Chapter too。
I prayed to my God…Emperor that I could complete this task before the forces of righteousness overtook me。 And I prayed to him that
my friends might be spared。
BETWEEN THOSE ESCAPADES； there were only the long； slow weeks of transit in the deep warp。 I filled my time with study； and with
weapons practice with Nayl； Fischig or Medea。 I battled to get myself healthy again。 The Carnificina had wasted me； both in body and
spirit。 The weight I had lost would simply not go back on； despite Maxilla's generous banquets。
And I felt slow。 Slow with a blade； slow on my feet。 Slow and clumsy with a gun。
Even my mind was slow。 I began to fear that Osma had broken me。
Tasaera Ungish was a semi…paralysed woman in her fifties。 The arduous rituals of the warp had left her broken and all but burned out；
consigned to a life as a junior telepath in the class…chambers of Ane…mae Gulfward。 Her raddled body was supported by an augmetic
exo…skeleton。 I believe she might have been beautiful once； but her face was now hollow and her hair thin where the implant plugs of
her calling had been sited。
'That time again； heretic？' she asked as I walked into her quarters。 This was about the twentieth week of the voyage。
'I wish you wouldn't call me that；' I said。
'Coping strategy；' she purred。 'Your e out of a safe life on Anemae Gulfward； and made me party to a
heretic's private crusade。'
'A safe life； Ungish？ A bad end。 You'd have been dead in another six months； the strain of the traffic they were making you process。'
She tutted； her augmetic chassis whirring as she poured us two glasses of amasec。 Hers was laced with fitobarrier enhancers； and her
room stank of lho…leaf。 I knew the rigours of her life had left her in constant pain； and she fought that pain off with everything she
could lay her hands on。
'Dead and buried on Anemae Gulfward in six… or dead in agony in your service。'
'It's not like that；' I said； nodding as I took the glass she proffered。
'Is it not？'
'No。 I've let you see my mind。 You know the purity of my cause。'
She frowned。 'Maybe。' She was having difficulty manipulating her own glass。 The mechadendrites that governed her right hand were
old and slow。
She waved me off when I tried to help。
'Maybe？' I asked。
She took a big swig of her drink and then poked a lho…stick between her crinkled lips。
'I've seen your mind； heretic。 You're not as clean as you like to think you are。'
I sat down on the chaise。 'Am I not？'
She lit the lho…stick and exhaled a deep lungful of its narcotic smoke with a sigh。
'Ah； don't mind me。 A ruined worn…out psyker who talks too much。'
'I'm interested。 What do you see？'
Her exo…skeleton made soft whines as it walked her over to the other couch and the hydraulics hissed as they settled her into the seat。
She took another deep puff。
'I'm sorry；' she said。 'Would you like one？'
I shook my head。
'I have served the Astropathicus all my life； such as it is； on guild tenure and as a freelance； as now。 When your woman came to me
with a job offer and real money； I took it。 But； oh me； oh my…'
'Astropaths are supposed to be neutral；' I countered。
'Astropaths are supposed to serve the Emperor； heretic；' she said。
'What have you seen in my mind？' I asked； bluntiy。
'Too； too much；' she responded； blowing a magnificent smoke…ring。
'Tell me。'
She shook her head； or that's what I supposed the hissing action of her head…cage was supposed to convey。
'I suppose I should be grateful。 You took me from a dead life to this… an adventure。'
'I don't need you to be grateful；' I said。
'Dead and buried on Anemae Gulfward in six… or dead in agony in your service；' she repeated。
'It won't be like that。'
She blew another smoke ring。 'Oh； it will。 I've seen it。 Clear as day。'
'You have？'
'Many times。 I'm going to die because of you； heretic。'
UNGISH WAS STUBBORN and defeatist。 I knew she had seen things she wouldn't talk about。 Eventually； I stopped asking。 We met every
few days； and she psy…chometrically captured images from my mind。 The Cadian pylons。 Cherubael。 Prophaniti； and the ornaments he
wore。
By the time we reached Cinchare； I had a sheaf of psychometric pictures and； thanks to the crippled astropath； a grim sense of the
future。
CINCHARE。 A MINERAL rock orbiting a rogue star。
Plagued by gravitic storms； the Cinchare system wanders sloppily through the fringes of the Halo Stars at the edge of Imperial space。
Ten thousand years ago it had been a neighbour of 3458 Dornal； and had nine planets and an asteroid belt。 When we finally found it； it
was lurching through the Pymbyle systems； major and minor； and had suffered two serious cosmological collisions。 Now it had six
planets and radiating sheets of asteroid belts。 Cinchare's rogue star was locked in a drunken dance with Pymbyle Minor； a flirtatious
encounter of gravities that would take another million years to resolve。
Cinchare itself； or more properly Cinchare rogue system'planet four X181B； was a blue nugget of rock swaggering along an almost
figure…eight far orbit around the clashing stars； following the vagaries of their impacting gravity wells。
Rich in ultra…rare metals including ancylitum and phorydnum； it had been a miner's plunder…haven for as long as it had been identified。
'No watch ships。 Precious little in the way of guidance buoys；' Maxilla said as he steered the Essene in…system。 'I've got a habitation
hot…spot。 The mining colony； I'll bet。'
'Park us in orbit；' I told him。 'Medea； fire up the cutter for landfall。 Aemos； you're with me。'
'WHOO！' WHISPERED MEDEA； tightening the grip of her circuit…inlaid hands around the bio…sensors of the cutter's steering yoke。
Another hard buffet had shaken the craft。
'The gravity…tides are all over the place。 I keep hitting eddies and anti…trojan points。'
'Small wonder；' Aemos muttered； easing himself into a deck…seat and connecting the restraint harness across his lap。 'The rogue star
and its planet…herd have made a disaster area of this system。'
'Hmmm…' said Medea； showing no concern as she rolled the cutter up and over on its back to avoid a jagged black asteroid that
tumbled across our path。 The close approach to Cinchare was a debris field； full of rock matter and collision slag； all swirling around
in complex and exotic orbits。 Parts of this field had formed into thin ring systems around Cinchare