Editing Dastot Kennoch (section)

== Background ==
Dastot grew up on Winters Path, a relatively unremarkable merchant ship that plied it’s trade across the Calixis Sector. Das was not a particularly outstanding young man, but he did possess a razor sharp wit and seemingly lack of tact when dealing with others. That being said, he almost always managed to get people to do what he wanted - even if they resented him afterwards. 

His family were not particularly high up in the hierarchy of the ship, so Das spent a lot of his time on the fringes of the shipboard community - stealing and outwitting from his neighbours to survive sometimes. Having few friends he instead imagined conversations with himself. Das isn’t entirely sure when his imaginary conversations became two sided - but at some point either he was going crazy, or someone was joining in his conversation inside his head.

All of this changed when Winters Path was boarded by an Imperial Navy frigate at a routine checkpoint - Winters captain and officer caste were charged with piracy and dealing in heretical materials and summarily put to death through an airlock. A number of crew members had fought back during the boarding action (not Das - he’d hidden!) and were executed, his father included. His mother... Das doesn’t talk about what happened to his mother.

The rest of the crew were rounded up and interrogated over the space of two weeks whilst Winters was torn apart internally by Navy search teams. Das was interviewed three times (twice more than normal!) and only the first time involved a beating. An Imperial Inquisitor declared Das had a taint about him, and should be sent for further screening and tests. 

As the shuttle door was closing and Das took his last look at the Winters Path he remembered asking his voice if it was coming with him. “No... but I will find you again, don’t you worry” came the response. It was the last time he heard the voice.

The next 10 years passed in a blur of tests, screenings, a horrific voyage on a black ship bound to Terra. Das will not speak of these years, nor the agony of Soul Binding.

Eventually Das was stationed on various Imperial Navy vessels as the shipboard astropath. Nobody liked him, and he was moved from one vessel to another several times as he couldn’t get on with the captain. More annoyingly, the voices in his head were silent - no-one would talk to him. It was only in later years he discovered the fate of the rest of the Winters Path crew - the ones deemed unremarkable and left on the ship (engines crippled by the Navy first). Nothing - no-one knew or cared. They were simply left to drift and starve - the report was a simple line stating 10,000 non-specific crew left on-board. Thus began an inner hatred of the Imperial Navy, and Das’ desire to leave his posting. He was also not impressed they wouldn’t let him use a sword in the frontlines, deeming him too valuable to lose.

When Captain Dmitry called - Das came running. A chance to get out from the Navy? An opportunity for wealth and riches beyond the wildest dreams of a poor scum from the bowels of a dreary ship? MAYBE HE WILL GET TO USE HIS SWORD!