Okay, some background. I'm starting a new campaign for my group that is familiar with Black Crusade. I intend to keep to the Black Crusade rules and darker theme for the most part, but my campaign follows a renegade Inquisitor of the Ordo Chronos who has fled from the Eye of Terror, his normal research grounds, but wishes to continue his investigations in the Screaming Vortex, a similar warp anomaly. His particular interest is in reports of Necron Chronomancers, a new line of inquiry since the Necron's don't have a particular presence within the Eye itself, only the Cadian Pylons themselves are referenced in the general vicinity of the Eye.

As part of this background, I intend to give the players, the Inquisitor's strike team, a starship for navigating their way through the Screaming Vortex following his agenda. I've been through some of the rules for Rogue Trader to identify how to build a starship and starship combat, but I'm looking for references on exploring systems, and advice on how to actually GM the experience. Part of my scenario is to have the players chasing a Stryxian clan caravan through the Vortex searching for the source of Necron artifacts the Stryxians have been trading. I would like to have them stop in a handful of systems that the Stryxians may have passed through, learn a little about each system, maybe set up the foundations of future adventures, and give them a better feel for the absolute absurdity of the worlds in the Screaming Vortex, all while exposing them to the slow, rotting taint of Chaos.

Has anyone run a chase scenario, or a series of system surveys such as this looking for a specific feature? I'm looking for advice on how to make it feel more interesting than stop, roll for scan the system, move to next system. Any other advice you have for these aspects of Rogue Trader for a GM from Black Crusade is also appreciated.

Well this can be solved by simply not having your scanners being able to detect what it is you're looking for. 40K sensors provide nowhere near the level of information Star Trek or other shows have depicted, so what your players are searching for may simply not be detectable from orbit.

If the Stryxis are trading in Necron artifacts, then that logically means that they might have been looking for a Tomb World, or if they're trading with other worlds then some other anomolous source. Make your players actually adventure down to the surface to "confirm" the Stryxis/Necron presence, or to try to ingratiate themselves with the locals to see if the Stryxis made contact on that world. As the Stryxis are quite active traders as well as massive jerks, it's also possible to put in some red herrings where they were trading in dangerous weapons firing green-disintegration beams from creatures without a presence in the Warp... only to lead your players into a Slaugth ambush since they also fit that description.