Fragment of a document reportedly recovered from the space hulk designated Herald of Misery in M38 by the rogue trader Ibram Subicere:

Accompanied by a demi-squad of the Inceptors Chapter, Captain Subicere and his crew aboard the Torchbearer were exploring the Anguis Cluster near the Maelstrom. There they discovered the Herald of Misery. Auspex readings indicated that the vessel was comprised of several major vessels and a number of smaller ones, including a few Imperial vessels and pre-Imperial human vessels. The Inceptors boarded the hulk in terminator armor, establishing a lodgment from which Captain Subicere and his crew could salvage while the Space Marines explored the deeper reaches of the hulk.

Two days into the operation, Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his squad suddenly returned. Putting his battle-brothers on guard, Brother-Sergeant Praetus returned to the Torchbearer. He privately entered the astropath’s quarters, ignoring all questions from Captain Subicere, and returned to the space hulk. He said one word to his battle-brothers: "Sanctitas." At this word, the terminators left their posts and returned whence they came, each carrying loads of demolitions.

Brother-Sergeant Praetus then informed Captain Subicere that his squad had discovered a grave threat within the depths of the hulk. He and his squad were to destroy the threat by planting demolitions at structural weaknesses within the hulk, during which time Captain Subicere and his crew would have five hours to recover as much as they could before returning to the Torchbearer. At this, Brother-Sergeant Praetus turned and followed his battle-brothers into the depths of the hulk.

One of the items that Captain Subicere was able to retrieve from the hulk was a small book. Beneath a thousand years of dust, the leather-bound book was decorated with gold filigree and the aquila of the Imperium. On the pages within, Subicere saw pictures of different Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, a small guidebook to the names and liveries of over a hundred Chapters. Instinctively, Subicere kept the book secret from Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his Space Marines, locking the book within his private sanctum aboard the Torchbearer before the Space Marines returned from their mission.

When Brother-Sergeant Praetus and his battle-brothers returned from their mission, they were laden with two containers they’d recovered from within the Herald of Misery, two of the terminators immediately returning to the Torchbearer with the containers as Brother-Sergeant Praetus and the two remaining battle-brothers remained, ostensibly to provide security as Captain Subicere and his crew completed their own tasks. Once all hands returned to the Torchbearer, Brother-Sergeant Praetus directed Captain Subicere to move the Torchbearer to stand-off distance. From there, the veteran Space Marine command-detonated the demolitions, entirely destroying the central vessel of the hulk and sending the debris of a dozen other vessels scattering through the void. He then informed Captain Subicere that the Inceptors had recalled the demi-squad and that they must return to the Chapter immediately. No explanation was given, and Captain Subicere was more than happy to see the Space Marines depart.

Upon completing the exploration of the Anguis Cluster, Subicere and the Torchbearer returned to Terra where the book was dutifully handed over to Inquisitor Lerneaus of the Ordo Malleus. The Inquisitor found one page, pictured at right, puzzling and required expert investigation, so he forwarded it to the Order of the Sacred Oath, an Order Dialogus of the Adepta Sororitas, for study and authentication.