Tomb

An arid, desert world coated in nearly blood-red copper dust, Tomb represents more than anything else the unquenching maw of the Vanduul war machine. Much of the planet’s surface is coated with the wreckage of spacecraft and other former war machines. The remains of countless repelled UEE attacks, private attempts at profiting from the unusual system, and destroyed Vanduul technology layer the planet.

Tomb is not a permanent graveyard, however: the wreckage which accumulates there is in turn devoured by massive Vanduul harvesters. These mechanical beasts ingest all forms of matter and convert them for use by the Vanduul war machine. The harvesters found on Tiber have an even more terrifying dual purpose: they seem to be the source for the newer harvesters that have been dropped onto Human colonies during raids. These “mother harvesters,” visually no different from harvesters observed elsewhere, are, in effect, duplicating themselves to spread terror throughout the galaxy. Everything from starship wrecks to the bones of fallen soldiers ultimately feed the very enemy they were attempting to defeat.

The world is also home to countless Vanduul war-camps, Spartan temporary base camps used by the Vanduul forces constantly on the move through the system. While Humans would not find Tomb’s environment particularly welcoming, the Vanduul seem to thrive in the climate, and they pay little mind to the landscape of destroyed spacecraft around them. (The Vanduul have never been observed to have a particular interest in capturing technology.) Attempting to visit one of these camps would be suicide for a Human being, but declassified records from attempted Marine landings have provided a great deal of knowledge about their usual layout.

While Tomb may seem an attractive target to hopeful salvage teams, be well warned that no one is known to have successfully landed on the planet to recover any of the priceless military hardware left there. Travelers are warned to avoid any such attempt. The UEE has never been able to establish a viable landing zone on Tomb, and unless you are part of an unlucky Marine detachment, you have little hope of even reaching the surface.