When Inquisitor Grinner investigates an abandoned Imperial merchant ship drifting in the Stars of Halo, he and his operatives discover that everyone on board is dead, apparently killed by a powerful pseiker. Since the ship has left the Kalixis sector, he contacts his colleague, Inquisitor Karl, who launches a network of agents into this area. But there is no such thing as a light inquisitorial investigation, and soon Carl and his team discover that they are up to their ears in problems. Smuggler operations are far more dangerous than it seems, whether the inquisitors will be able to reveal their dark secrets before they themselves are destroyed.