The transport clears Korriban's orbit, and stars stretch into bright threads beyond the observation deck. The ship settles into hyperspace with a steady vibration through the deck.
Passengers disperse toward assigned cabins and common areas. Captain Veyra remains near the viewport until the last crew member passes, then gestures toward a sealed side corridor.
Captain Veyra
Walk with me. This conversation concerns your research, not a security interview, but I prefer precise answers away from an audience.
She leads Zuruk into a compact observation lounge, locking the door behind them. A tactical display dims, leaving hyperspace light washing across the captain's guarded expression.
Captain Veyra
What exactly do you mean by Sith alchemy? Chemical reconstruction, Force-mediated alteration, or the preservation of consciousness in manufactured vessels?
Captain Veyra
Describe your academic method. Which sources do you trust, and how will you distinguish Rakatan evidence from later Sith interpretation?
Captain Veyra
Finally, what do you expect to find on Yavin IV that justifies bringing your work aboard my ship?
“Has Veyra encountered Rakatan evidence before? "To the first, I don't think you really want to know about the Force unless you are Force sensitive and I would not recommend a Sith world to learn about it." You smile, "To the second, my notes are my own, but I can assure you that my sources are reliable." You lean in, wondering if she is hitting on you, some attraction to bad boys. "I have a question of my own, have you encountered ruins or wreckage of the Infinite empire?"”
NO (Even, rolled 71)
Zuruk Syn
To the first, I don't think you really want to know about the Force unless you are Force sensitive, and I would not recommend a Sith world to learn about it.
Zuruk Syn
To the second, my notes are my own, but I can assure you that my sources are reliable.
Zuruk Syn
I have a question of my own. Have you encountered ruins or wreckage of the Infinite Empire?
Zuruk leans closer as hyperspace light slides across the lounge. Veyra notices the shift, but her guarded expression gives away no attraction or offense.
Captain Veyra
No. Not ruins, not wreckage, not even a verified artifact from the Infinite Empire.
Captain Veyra
His confidence is carefully measured. Whether it rests on scholarship or something stranger, I have no evidence yet.
Captain Veyra
I have carried survey teams near old worlds, but Yavin IV will be my first direct approach to Rakatan claims. Treat every source as unproven until the site confirms it.
“I offer Veyra a role verifying my findings. "The world of Yavin IV has hostile flora and fauna due to millennia of experimentation. If you wish to join me, then I have no objections. I can say that the source of my knowledge comes from the Korriban archives, as the Sith people were once slaves to the Infinite Empire."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -2)
Zuruk Syn
Yavin IV's flora and fauna are hostile after millennia of experimentation. Join me as a verifier, if you wish. I have no objection.
Zuruk Syn
My knowledge comes from the Korriban archives. The Sith were once slaves to the Infinite Empire, so our records may preserve what others lost.
Veyra studies Zuruk in silence while hyperspace glare pulses across the sealed lounge. The tactical display catches her reflection beside his, two figures over an unseen world.
Captain Veyra
You are offering me an observer's role, not a passenger's privilege. I accept, provided my records remain independent of your conclusions.
Captain Veyra
Korriban's archives could contain genuine history, or carefully preserved Sith propaganda. Either way, this expedition just became more dangerous.
She unlocks the research protocol and adds her name beside Zuruk's on the ship's manifest. The authorization consumes the expedition's discretionary sensor allotment, leaving no reserve for a second survey pass.
Captain Veyra
Your findings will receive verification, and your source will be documented. But if the jungle confirms your warning, I will record that too, without alteration.
“I ask Veyra what compliance requires aboard. "Have an impartial opinion will assist me in my findings, agreed."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Zuruk Syn
What does compliance require aboard? An impartial opinion will assist me in my findings, agreed.
Veyra considers the wording, then turns to the tactical display. Hyperspace glare strips the lounge of every shadow except those cast by the instrument panels.
Captain Veyra
You will declare every artifact, sample, and alteration before removing it from a site. No unsupervised excursions, no Force activity aboard ship, and no sealed compartments opened without my authorization.
Captain Veyra
Your research remains yours. My role is to challenge assumptions, preserve chain of evidence, and stop the expedition if its risks exceed its value.
She adds the compliance terms to the research protocol and grants Zuruk access to the ship's raw sensor archive, including prior survey data from Yavin IV's orbital approaches.
Captain Veyra
I have entered you as a research principal, not merely a passenger. You may review the archive tonight and mark the readings you consider relevant.
Captain Veyra
He asked for impartial scrutiny instead of authority. That may make him safer to work with, or more difficult to deceive.
“I review the Yavin IV sensor archive, "Excellent, this will be a nice use of my time." You look from the records to her, "I'm afraid that the Force isn't something you turn on and off, it flows through all of us. However, I will not actively use it on your ship unless I feel that the ship or the crew are in danger."”
SUCCESS (Poor Investigation, rolled +1)
Zuruk accesses the raw Yavin IV archive. Orbital scans, atmospheric readings, and fragmented terrain maps unfold across the display while hyperspace light trembles over the console.
Zuruk Syn
Excellent. This will be a nice use of my time.
He moves from the records to Veyra, leaving the archive open beside them. The survey data confirms dense vegetation, unstable weather patterns, and extensive prior experimentation.
Zuruk Syn
I am afraid the Force is not something you turn on and off. It flows through all of us.
Zuruk Syn
However, I will not actively use it on your ship unless I feel that the ship or the crew are in danger.
Captain Veyra
That distinction is acceptable, provided danger is immediate and your judgment is explainable afterward. I will record the promise exactly as stated.
Veyra reviews the archive beside him and marks the agreement in the protocol. The sensor records remain fully accessible, and the expedition proceeds under clearly documented terms.
“I ask Veyra to flag independent readings. "This dense foliage here, I believe is the tomb of Exar Kun. I would not put it past Sith Alchemy to have created some sort of barrier to sensors."”
FAILURE (Poor Investigation, rolled +0)
Zuruk Syn
Flag independent readings here. I believe this dense foliage conceals the tomb of Exar Kun, possibly behind a Sith alchemical barrier that disrupts sensors.
Veyra overlays orbital scans, atmospheric returns, and the ship's passive survey data. The layers disagree across the suspected site, but none establishes a confirmed structure or a sensor-blocking field.
Captain Veyra
I will flag the discrepancy, but not label it Exar Kun's tomb. The independent readings are too sparse, and the interference may be terrain, weather, or corrupted archival data.
She isolates the conflicting returns instead of forcing them into a single conclusion. A narrow corridor of consistent data appears along the jungle's western escarpment, where the canopy thins above buried stone formations.
Captain Veyra
There is your usable lead. The western escarpment offers a cleaner approach and a better control site, though it still proves only that something beneath the foliage distorts the survey.
Veyra records the tomb hypothesis as Zuruk's attribution, then marks the escarpment for a controlled comparison. The archive now preserves both the failed identification and the route that may test it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Complete a controlled comparison of the survey anomaly
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether Exar Kun's tomb is present
“I compare the western escarpment readings against the corrupted returns. "Stories tell of a rive that ran along one side of the great Sith's compound. See how this escarpment looks carved by water?"”
FAILURE (Poor Investigation, rolled -1)
Zuruk Syn
Stories tell of a river that ran along one side of the great Sith's compound. See how this escarpment looks carved by water?
Zuruk aligns the western escarpment with the corrupted returns, tracing the long contour against older terrain models. The apparent channel follows the slope, then fractures into impossible angles beneath the canopy.
Zuruk Syn
The readings agree only where the terrain is most exposed.
Captain Veyra
It resembles a watercourse at orbital scale, but the comparison fails at ground detail. The supposed river changes direction without a corresponding depression.
Veyra overlays rainfall erosion models and archival elevation data. Their predicted drainage lines diverge sharply from the escarpment, while the corrupted returns repeat along buried stone boundaries.
Captain Veyra
Your hypothesis cannot identify a river. It does identify a boundary, perhaps architectural, but the corrupted layer is now too unreliable to guide an approach.
She removes the escarpment from the primary route and preserves it as an unresolved comparison site. The clean corridor remains the only defensible approach in the survey archive.
Quest Complete
Complete a controlled comparison of the survey anomaly
“I ask Veyra to verify the boundary independently "Seems that my desire to find something is clouding my judgement, can you look over this data and draw your own conclusions?"”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
Zuruk Syn
Seems that my desire to find something is clouding my judgment. Can you look over this data and draw your own conclusions?
Veyra accepts the archive control and reprocesses the boundary returns without the tomb hypothesis, comparing raw sensor echoes against rainfall, elevation, and known stone density.
Captain Veyra
Independently, the data supports a buried linear structure. It follows no natural drainage pattern, and its repeated angles are too regular for erosion.
She strips away corrupted overlays, leaving a broken polygon beneath the western canopy. Several corners align with the strongest sensor interference, while the open corridor skirts its southern edge.
Captain Veyra
I cannot identify this as Exar Kun's compound. I can verify an artificial boundary, partially buried and actively distorting passive scans.
Captain Veyra
My conclusion is narrower than yours, but it justifies a survey. We approach from the clean corridor, establish a control reading, then test the boundary from outside.
Veyra saves the independent analysis under her name and schedules the comparison for planetary approach. The polygon remains unresolved, but its artificial geometry is now documented as verified evidence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Begin the planetary survey under Veyra's oversight
“I mark the polygon's southern edge for testing on approach. "I will lead a survey team and protect them as they make measurements."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
Zuruk Syn
I will lead a survey team and protect them as they make measurements.
Zuruk marks the polygon's southern edge in the approach plan, adding a controlled measurement line beyond the strongest interference. The route is now assigned to his team.
Captain Veyra
Accepted. I will place the survey team under your field direction and record your protection protocol beside the measurement schedule.
Veyra opens the expedition roster and assigns two sensor technicians, a communications officer, and a compact field shuttle. Their equipment locks to the southern-edge itinerary.
Captain Veyra
You lead from outside the boundary until the control readings are complete. I will monitor your team from orbit and preserve an independent record.
The tactical display projects the marked route over Yavin IV's rotating globe. The southern edge passes through dense canopy, but its landing zone remains clear enough for a measured descent.
Captain Veyra
The approach is entered. On arrival, your team will have the boundary, the control site, and the authority to measure both without disturbing the buried structure.
“Lead the team through the clear landing zone. You take the lead, using investigation to check for animal tracks as you focus on keeping them team safe from flora and fauna.”
SUCCESS (Poor Investigation, rolled +1)
The field shuttle settles beyond the canopy, and Zuruk leads the team through the clear landing zone. He studies mud, crushed leaves, and bent fronds while keeping the group tightly ordered.
Sensor Technician One
Tracks ahead, moving parallel to our route. Heavy, six-limbed, and fresh enough to matter.
Zuruk identifies the animal trail before it crosses the team’s path, then signals a silent detour around pale vines whose hooked leaves twitch toward passing heat.
Communications Officer
Good catch. The vines are reacting to us. I am marking the safe passage for the return route.
He brings the technicians across firm ground and reaches the southern control site with the formation intact. A thorned runner catches his sleeve, tearing fabric and scraping his forearm before he cuts free.
Captain Veyra
Orbital view confirms the team is safe and positioned outside the boundary. Your route is logged, including the damaged sleeve and the biological hazard.
The team deploys its sensors at the control site. Behind them, the disturbed trail disappears beneath the canopy, while the marked safe corridor remains available for their return.
Deliver the control readings to Veyra
Quest Complete
Begin the planetary survey under Veyra's oversight
Skill Upgrade: Investigation Poor→Mediocre