Terminus Est
Darvannis, Calaron Sector
0900 Local Time
0900 Local Time
The heat beating down harassed many of the expeditionary team into sluggishness. Ketaris was a long way from Hutt Space, and the exact opposite in terms of climate. There was a river system close by that thankfully gave them a reprieve from the overall harshness of Darvannis' relentless arid nature, but it was nowhere near the cool, albeit humid world they were accustomed to.
These were the trials that came with research into alien culture and the distant past. In particular, the possibility of Rakatan influence on a world who's history only apparently dated back to the Old Republic. The Hutts were generous enough to offer their blessing- at a premium, of course- for the effort, because whatever the University team managed to uncover might bring more traffic to the world.
Darvannis suffered from a lack of tourism that made their economy sparse and drove the locals into conditions skirting poverty. Only the riches of the Cartel kept them afloat, and only due to their willingness to submit to less than ideal demands.
The Hutt in power, Gorba, knew he was pissing away money. He needed to do something to bring the world back from the brink so that they could pay the exorbitant protection tithes he expected, that the Cartel exacted unflinching. King Enlil of Ketaris approached with an enticing proposition.
Darvannis had no shortage of ruins and vast desert to be picked over. With his great interest in civilizations that matched those particular criteria, he was happy to enlist the funding he received for the University to strike the deal. Now, the King stood watch over a team working in one of the planet's many ruins.
"Aren't you exhausted from the heat, my lord?" one of the researchers asked. "This world is a bit harsher than I thought it would be."
"It reminds me a great deal of my own world," Enlil responded, his arms folded. Notably, his gaze never left the ruins: stone, arches and craftsmanship that seemed extremely ornate even though they had been eroded by time. "When I look at these carvings, I remember how very different things have become. There was nothing strange about walking great distances between places, nor was it particularly irregular for one to live in a house cut from stone."
"It's such a strange thing to think that you are living History, my lord," the man shook his head. Stranger things had happened, and with the involvement of Rakatan technology, space-time anomalies weren't even out of the question. "Still, other than things you have told us, we have no records of any civilization that matches that information. It's like an entirely forgotten world. I truly want to learn more about it, and to close the distance that you crossed to live in these times."
The King managed to smile. "As do I," he said softly. "The reports have indicated that there may be a subterranean tunnel network. Do we have plans to excavate it in the works?"
"A team of experts on loan from another University," his aide confirmed. "Specifically, for this project, a Xenogeologist. We want to be certain to not damage any potential findings in the excavation process, so she is working to find a means to deal with the sediment that's covered up the site."
Enlil glanced to the man finally. "No need to rush," he smirked. "We've come this far. I've waited a very long time. I can wait a day or two more, if necessary."