The Iast system housed a secretive Imperial research installation. This installation, referred to as To-phalion Base, served as the location where the Empire attempted to create a cloaking device under the project name Vorknkx. Admiral Zaarin successfully penetrated the system and absconded with a CR90 corvette that was outfitted with a functional cloaking device. However, the Vorknkx researchers had not yet solved the problem of maintaining cloaking functionality during hyperspace travel. Consequently, when Zaarin jumped into hyperspace, the corvette, its crew, and Zaarin himself were all obliterated.