The Imperium is beset by horrors. Xenospecies too numerous to mention are bent on our destruction. Only by naming and studying these predators does humanity stand any chance of survival. And by circumstance, or perhaps by divine will, it has fallen to me, Captain Janus Draik, Rogue Trader and first son of House Draik, to codify the myriad threats aligned against us. In the westernmost reaches of the galaxy I have braved the nightmarish pits of the Blackstone Fortress and the lawless dens of its orbital platform, Precipice. Through exploration of these treacherous environs, I have unearthed truths hidden from even the most learned Terran scholars. Here, in the galaxy's first truly comprehensive work of xenology, I have determined the terrifying face of our foe.