Contorting through a narrow window - carelessly left open so that the room's occupant could savor the relative coolness of the night-time air - Haxtes finds an old man sleeping fitfully on a worn bed. He mumbles in his sleep, clutching an engraved case that can only contain a set of the Tarot. Haxtes mind races - he never paid much attention to Castilas' brief - but it must be Aristarchus the Seer. The one Castilas were to meet in Port Suffering. Globus' man on the ground. Haxtes moves on, only to find someone waiting for him. A dark shadow with a longlas. As it turns out he is Brother Severus, formerly a Corporal of the 44th Mortessian Scout-Snipers, now a member of Preacher Orland Skae's retinue. He explains what has happened. Aristarchus came with Castilas and his men. They had a meeting with Preacher Skae, then went about the investigation. It seemed to be going well enough - they seemed to rely heavily on their psyker - until one night disaster struck. In the darkness a vile spirit assaulted Orland Skae, nearly killing him. The next day the team went out to locate a local wise-woman/witch/tribal elder. Esha Raine. Skae, who had pulled through, was convinced that she was behind the attack - and the other psychic phenomena as well. Severus isn't too sure - she's been one of Skae's closest supporters for a long time, although they recently had a falling out and parted on ill terms. There has been no word from the team. They should have been back two days ago. Not long after Haxtes and Severus - who knows the area very well - are driving a small buggy away from Stern Hope and into the mountains. Heading for the Lodge of Esha Raine. Unfortunately the storm hits and the flying sands stalls the engine of the buggy, forcing them to walk the last miles. Once again there is the feeling of not being wanted. And when they are attacked by what appears to be a corpse...and harassed by Shale Crows...it seems to confirm their fears. Esha Raine is a witch and behind all this. Meanwhile, in orbit, Maxi makes a judgment call. With Venus out of stasis and active his mission parameters are no longer valid. Rather than sitting idly by he commandeers a shuttle and a wheeled Explorator-pattern Rhino and heads for the surface. Had he remained in orbit any longer he would not be able to act before the storm was over - with wheels on the ground he has many more options. They find Castila's and his team outside Esha's compound. Bound and left to die in the sandstorm. Haxtes heads into the lodge, finding Esha - and old and grey crone, looking every bit the witch - drinking tea with Jebediah. Betrayal or what...?

Haxtes never pulls the trigger. Instead he listens. To Esha Raine. Hearing her explanation. That some other force is at work here. Something the is trying to turn friend against friend. To prevent the sanctification of the Cathedral. And Haxtes finds himself believing. Just like Jebediah had believed, whereas his colleagues had not, and so they had been strung up by the warriors of Kos'ke, the local warlord, who saw it as his task to keep Esha safe. Braving the storm the group - now counting all of Castilas' men, Haxtes and Esha Raine - is able to contact Maxi and the ground team for pickup. Soon they are aboard the Explorator, heading for Stern Hope. Which, Haxtes learns, is under attack from some unknown force. Maxi has picked up some frantic vox calls earlier on, but dismissed them as not relevant to the mission... Haxtes is of another opinion. The Explorator races back through the flying sand. They reach Stern Hope, push forward and reach the Cathedral just in time to help beat back an attack by the fanatical and blood-thirsty warriors of some warlord called Seth...

After a harrowing night the attack is beaten back...the lightly armed attackers are unable to overcome the determined defense of the Cathedral - especially when the main entrance is blocked with an auto-cannon armed Explorator and a squad of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers. The situation outside is less certain - but when maxi finally ventures forth with a small patrol they find that the citizens of Stern Hope has dealt - most harshly - with the rest of the attackers. Maxi rescues one survivor from the vengeful crowd - rescues him so that he can be interrogated by the Holy Ordos. Haxtes takes the role of Interrogator serisouly. But there isn't much to be learned. It seems that the attackers - the prisoner included - are devout followers of the Imperial Creed. They all bear signs of their devotion - scars caused by self-flaggelation, devotional tattoos, purity seals made from the skin of fallen enemies, that sort of thing. Save for the yellow bands they wear about their arms they seem very much like Red Redemptionists. Hell, the prisoner even claims that they attacked to cleanse Stern Hope of evil! The Preacher and Aristarchus are both brought to the safety of the Cathedral - the Priory seems to have been ignored during the attack. Aristarchus is rather incoherent, but doesn't seem very pleased to see Esha Raine. And Preacher Skae, who is now a walking wounded, is not pleased either. No surprise there perhaps. Especially when it is revealed that it was Aristarchus divinations that point to Raine as the witch responsible for the malignant attack on the Preacher. Well, Esha Raine isn't comfortable with Aristarchus either - she keeps claiming that he's the source of the evil that is to befall Stern Hope. Karen, the sanctioned psyker, cannot find any fault with either Aristarchus or Esha Raine. The former is not tainted...and the later isn't a psyker at all. And this is Karen's field of expertise - to read minds and souls in search of hidden corruption. So clearly Aristarchus did not bring evil here...and Raine could not have caused the attack on the Preacher, seeing as she's quite mundane. What a lovely mess...and it's only the beginning...