At night, a Startrek researcher is talking with a Royan man about the weight of mythology versus reality.

Stefan: ““…Just a bunch of fanciful Royan myths. No scholarly merit.” That’s all I ever hear.”

Fjordheim: “Classic prejudice. If understanding our folklore is their aim, then they must first drop their preconceptions. Read not our language, grasp not our legends. Grasp not our legends, see not our history.”

Stefan: “Do you mean the legends are metaphors for history? For real events?”

Fjordheim: “Take Hvedrungr and Aleph-1. Tell me, which is more terrifying, the legend or the reality?”

Stefan: “Reality, obviously! Just thinking about it gives me chills. Is a Threnodian like that even from Solaris?”

Fjordheim: “Exactly. It’s as they say, dig too deep and chase the truth all the way down the rabbit hole… and you might lose yourself.”

Stefan: “No wonder they call folklorists a high-risk profession…”