[Verse 1] Victoria Quinn, at your service, R2. And yes, I am aware this is an absurdly inhospitable place to discover a corpse. Still, the galaxy does enjoy irony. Now, hold that light there. No, there. Thank you. Look at the excavation pattern. Not random collapse. Intentional interment. [Verse 2] And the holopad— beautifully preserved, for something so offensively wedged into the ribs of a deceased stranger. Charming. Let me see the surface. Mm. Frost etching on the casing. Microfractures along the edge. It was handled in haste, then hidden. [Verse 3] The notes are partial. But partial is rarely useless, only underappreciated. "North wall. Third drift. Vault beyond the singing stone." Singing stone. How theatrical. Almost certainly a marker, not poetry. [Verse 4] And this skeleton... no defensive posture. No blade marks. No obvious trauma. Which suggests either a very peaceful death or a very efficient one. I vote for efficiency. If the body was placed here after the cave sealed, then someone wanted time to become a locked door. And Hoth, bless it, has always been excellent at locking things. [Verse 5] What? Yes, I know. You are making the face that means I am being insufferable. I am being careful. Those are not the same thing. The Force is peculiar here. Muted. Not absent. Just... disciplined. Like a room after an argument when nobody has touched the glass. [Verse 6] So we follow the notes, interpret the geology, respect the dead, and avoid any heroic stupidity. That part is for other people. You, for instance, tend to be enthusiastic in the extreme. [Verse 7] Come on, then. We have enough information to be dangerous, which is vastly superior to being confused. Stand up. Good. Let's leave this cave before the ice decides to make a second skeleton out of my patience. [Verse 8] And do keep up, R2. Anakin did tell you to look after me. I assume he meant with discretion, not commentary. [Exit] Quite. Let's go.
