I have just spent three weeks on the Expedient Profit integrating the station records into the rest of the data that I have on the Amaranthine Syndicate. It has been a boring job but very much worth my while. I'm now starting to see how the Syndicate operates through the patterns of trades that end in nowhere. At least it has given me something to do while the Navigator follows the Device. I have had to watch him carefully; he covets the Device in a worrying way. Still, he is doing his job well so nothing needs to be done yet. Amusingly Zuriel seems to have taken my statement that I was bored of financial records to be some sort of statement that I was going to sleep my way through the crew. He overestimates my stamina and the attractiveness of the void born and underestimates my need to know what is going on.

So the Syndicate has the resources to acquire an Imperial Station and place it in a location where it can serve no honest or clean purpose. I have analysed the readings of the objects off the station and I believe that they are two vessels of Xenos origin. I am not sure but one signature bears some resemblance to the descriptions that I have read of the Dark Eldar. Perhaps Slaugh and Eldar? I do not know for certain but I have the readings for future study. We will board while they battle with each other and try to learn what we can; we don't have the forces to confront them head on.

This place is a rotten apple; a thin skin of healthy flesh hiding a core of rot and Slaugh corruption. How many human souls have been lost here? How may bodies devoured by the appetites of the Slaugh? The sound of gunfire told me that there were Dark Eldar fighting here too. We could not confront them though; we did not have the time or forces to do so. We have gone around and through this place of hours abandoning the lost souls here and truly they are lost for they cannot be save from the Xenos here. I have realised I have hardened my Will so much in this voyage that I am at risk of distancing myself from own humanity. I will die if I must but not with my spirit broken.

We have the other half of the device and the data we could steal. Now we just have to get away before the Xenos ships stop us.

The Xenos vessel that I believe to have been Slaugh has just tried to close on us and has been destroyed. Not by us so it can only be the action of the Eldar or their allies.

The thing that did it looked like the devices of the Serrated Query, like the bombs, like the Room. Perhaps all that was of interest at Karthid was the Amaranthine Syndicate? Well the Enemy of my Enemy is still an Enemy.

What does the Query want?

I need to analyse my data…