A venture to the moon orbiting the planet Arli was carried out in 228 BBY by Jordanna Sparkburn. Sparkburn, a member of the San Tekka family with relatives residing on the moon, undertook this mission. The star system of Arli had become part of the Occlusion Zone, a region created behind the Stormwall barrier by the Nihil pirates, and Sparkburn's goal was to ensure their well-being. After successfully entering the Occlusion Zone, Sparkburn was directed to her cousin, the smuggler Cair San Tekka, by Graf family descendant Xylan Graf, enlisting San Tekka's assistance in reaching Arli. Upon their arrival in the system aboard San Tekka's starship, the Brightbird—disguised as a Nihil vessel under the alias Blood Vulture—they were intercepted by a trio of Nihil ships. The Nihil were unconvinced by San Tekka's explanation of collecting abandoned items from Arli's moon, opening fire on the Brightbird as it passed by, but the pirates did not follow them into the atmosphere surrounding the moon. Landing on Arli's moon, the pair discovered a withering blight gradually consuming the surface.
Sparkburn and San Tekka touched down in the city of Birage, where they encountered Sparkburn's family, including her brother Harth, who was hesitant to abandon their home despite the threats posed by the Nihil and the blight. Together, the three investigated the blight, discovering that it had compromised a network of caves beneath Birage. Consequently, Harth conceded that the inhabitants of Arli's moon had no alternative but to evacuate. The residents were escorted onto the Brightbird and departed from the moon, with the ship successfully entering hyperspace following a brief engagement with the Nihil ships. While traveling through hyperspace, San Tekka realized that the blight had infected his hand and would soon cause his death. Nevertheless, with the help of the Sparkburn siblings, San Tekka's hand was amputated and contained within a specialized field. After leaving her family and the other refugees from Arli on the planet Seswenna, Sparkburn delivered San Tekka's hand to Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, who, in turn, presented it to the Jedi Order as evidence of the emerging danger posed by the blight.