The 'Cold Trade' is a catchall for interstellar smuggling, more specifically smuggling of xenos artifacts. Despite the inherent danger of dealing in such merchandise there is a surprisingly large amount of trade going on. It's a matter of supply and demand: Calixis lies at the edge of the galaxy and xenos artifacts are in good supply out here, and demand...there is always demand if there is profit to be made. Combating the Cold Trade is one of the Ordo Xenos' major objectives. It's a daunting task, made more complicated by the vastness of Calixian space and the many Rogue Traders operating in the area.