LCDR T'Lara's efforts at a translation were frustrating.  This was some kind of code, not simple language.  She might be able to decipher this in time.  But while an adept counselor and proficient in linguistics, she wasn't a COMMS specialist and code wasn't her forte.

Decker, meanwhile, was able to narrow down the direction and bearing of the signal.  It's localized source, or at least a repeater station from which it was bouncing.  The artifact was roughly the size of Earth, after all.  Perhaps not coincidentally, it lay in the same direction as the next Federation tech signal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:42, Fri 16 Oct 2020.

"Sure, I'll keep on it," the Tellarite grumbled, scanning for gravity fluctuations with his tricorder as they went.

Decker nodded to ch'Pertha, "Aye, sir. For what it's worth, the source of those signals appears to be proximate to the next and last location of Federation technology that we've been tracking. If Lieutenant Commander T'Lara will lead us to the latter, we may learn more about the former as well."

With that, he raised the communicator back up and began transmitting again, "To the entity or entities in charge of this facility. My name is Christopher Decker of the Federation starship Independence. We have received your signals, but are unable to interpret your response. If you can transmit a lexical primer of your language, perhaps...." He continued speaking as the party moved on, monitoring the return signals for a substantial response.

"I will lead the way," ch'Pertha quickly interjected, "With Ltn Commander T'Lara's guidance.
I want everyone a good distance behind me, but in visual range".
If anything triggered or changed, the Andorian wanted to be the first to have to encounter it.

The landing party continues through the winding, maze like corridoers, with ch'Pertha in the lead and Mcreeg bringing up the rear.  Decker and T'Lara continued their communication and tracking efforts even as Javker kept a scan on the walls.

Rounding a corner, they came across a scene of devastation.  Parts of the wall seem to have exploded inwards and part of the ceiling had collapsed.  The way wasn't totally blocked, but it would be difficult to wind through the debris and superstructure.

But this... this was the source of the next Federation signal!  With his keen Andorian senses and practiced security skills, ch'Pertha spotted one... no, two!... bodies tangled and pinned in the wreckage.  Both wore Starfleet uniforms with field jackets.

"I'm not sure, but I think something's wrong with the walls," Javker announced drily.

"...We have received your signals, but are unable to interpret your response. If you can..." Decker's rote dialog drifted off as JavKer's comment caused him to look up and notice the devastation.

He closed the communicator and examined the wreckage. "Huh. This message is clear enough. It seems like the response they sent us was rather subtle in comparison."

He attempted to refocus his tricorder to lock down the source of the "response" signal.

ch'Pertha, upon coming upon the scene, stopped moving, but motioned the others up to his location.

After the general banter in reaction to the scene ended, he said,
"Decker, continue attempting to communicate* with the structure.   It's important that we continue doing so, and the more response we can get recorded, the sooner we might decipher their comms linguistics.

Nobody moves past me, yet.

T'Lara, begin life scans.  I want to know if either of those people are alive ... and how many bodies are in there.
JavKer, tell me about the structural integrity of this place, and any other circumstances; such as gravitation.

Mcreeg," Sorry friend, but for now, its the same boring, yet essential, shit for you, "watch our rear.  This would be a bad time to be ambushed" ... motioned back to the corridor corner the team had just come around.


As the various scans were enacted, ch'Pertha looked over the sight with his Constantly Watchful gaze for signs of danger or enemies.
- rolled 19,11.  Insight+Security(15).
-Constantly Watching:   When you attempt a Task to detect danger or hidden enemies, reduce the Difficulty by 1.

Decker nodded, "Uh, yes sir. I was just trying to get a lock on the source of these signals. From a distance they appeared to be coming from right around here, somewhere..."

*tricorder whirring noise*

"Aye, Commander" Mcreeg he sends as he nods, almost welcoming the mundaneness of his job, agreeing with his superior, savoring the way the phaser feels in his gloved hand, eyes never stopping, head turning this way and that, making a promise to himself that he won't be caught unawares again, even as his mind is running thru the weird things they've encountered, trying to figure them out on his own, to solve things like the odd gravitic activties..

T'Lara breathed heavily at the sight of the new carnage.   Her first impulse was to rush over to check if there were any survivors, but she wasn't going to defy the orders of her Commander a second time.  The fact that the walls imploded in the most unnatural way also weighed in on her decision; there might be residual gravitational fluctuation that could still be dangerous

"Yes, sir, I'm on it" she said even as she reached for her tricorder and scanned for life signs

It took D'rala Vex a moment to realize what she was hearing, absorbed as she was in slowly attempting to wriggle, slide, and maneuver her way out of her predicament. She'd made it, slowly and uncomfortably, into a half sitting position amidst the twisted metal and now-cold wiring. A beam still lay  over one of her legs. She wasn't sure if it was seriously injured, but she couldn't seem to pull it free past the boot.

D'rala had been in the midst of attempting to lever the beam when she registered the voices. Shock and relief rushed through her. She couldn't see the people who'd emerged into the hall, but it didn't sound like anyone she knew from the station. Rescue was rescue, though.

"Hello!?" she called out, voice strained with desperation. "We're here!"

Ch'Pertha surveyed the situation even as he directed his crew.  There were too many avenues of hidden danger for him to feel comfortable... but he didn't sense anything immediately threatening.

With his scans, Decker was able to ascertain the source of the Comm signals was beyond this juncture, but close.  Less than 500 meters.

Mcreeg fiddled with his communicator as he played rearguard, frowning...

T'Lara's scans quickly detected two life signs.  One human, one Orion. They were half-buried and tangled up in that rubble and debris, but alive with strong life signs.

And that was when D'rala's voice called out from the wreckage.

Doing his best to fine tune it, coming just short of smacking it, his communicator giving him problems deliberately, Mcreeg does his best to figure out what could be wrong, checking the most obvious and working backwards in way, a challenge to be met, even if it turns out to be something simple..but he dare not think that way...or truly let his guard down..

01:09, Today: LT JG Xanatos Mcreeg rolled 18 using 2d20 with rolls of 15,3.  insight (9) + engineering (4) difficulty = 2.

ch'Pertha responded immediately to the voice that emanated from the wreckage, "This is Commander ch'Pertha of the Federation ship USS Independence.
We're scanning for your location now, and evaluating the situation to best plan for your extraction", he called out, as he looked towards T'Lara and Javker for confirmation that their scans were compiling this necessary information.

"Are you crew from the Abyss Station? or someone else?" hoping that they would reveal more of their identities ... and allow him better figure out where they were in the mess before him, "How many of you are there?"

D'rala exhaled in relief at hearing the man's voice--Commander ch'Pertha apparently--call back to her. She knew Starfleet wouldn't simply abandon them, but had not been anywhere near as certain that they'd ever be found. This place they were in was something strange and unique, and D'rala had been sure that she would need to find a way to extract them herself if she and her one remaining squamate were going to emerge alive; and yet, here was rescue.

D'rala took a steadying breath, trying to banish the shake and panic from her voice.

"Yes, this is Lieutenant Commander D'rala Vex of Abyss Station!" she called back. "There are only two of us left, as far as I know. I think our injuries are minor."

Decker somewhat reluctantly (but dutifully) re-opened his communicator and began transmitting again. He had his tricorder focused on the direction of the receiver in hopes of receiving a clear reply.

"This is Science Officer Christopher Decker of the United Federation of Planets. We are here on an urgent mission of peace. We mean you no harm. We're going to aid our companions - those who came before us, who likewise meant no harm. Please respond so that we can open a dialog and work out any misunderstandings."

Mcreeg's helmet communicator let a steady wash of static from its speaker. (OOC: Remember, the Independence team is all in space suits, while the Abyss Station crew is not.)

Decker continues his frustrating attempts to communicate with whomever or whatever runs this immense artifact.  He's narrowed down the source... or at least repeater... of the transmission to beyond the wreckage, about 500 meters, around a corner.  The same computer noises replied to his entreaties, enigmatic as before.

"Walls seem fine now," JavKer grunted, eyes glued to his tricorder.  "No signs of gravity fluctuations or energy spikes."

"Are...are you sure?"
She herself was positive that the walls, or was it the room, were very much in motion.
Almost losing her balance, T'Lara leaned against one of the walls for support, the faint echo calling for help from underneath the debris barely registering with her.

On hearing the transmission, Tsolo retrieved his phaser. He heard D'rala's transmission and said I'm going to rap on the ceiling with the butt: Three short intervals, three long, three short...the good old Earth call for help...save our souls if you like. When you hear a transmission. I'll stop until and unless continuing the knocking will help them zero in on us. He starts doing so.

OOC: I think they were just yelling aloud, not sending transmissions

knocking's still a good idea though! :)

"Besides the distant chatter, my tricorder's detecting someone playing woodpecker," JavKer said.  "That way." He pointed.

Then he glanced aside.

"Hey.  Counselor.  You okay?" he asked, seeing T'Lara teeter.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:16, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

ch'Pertha was taking it all in.  he almost seemed zoned out, as he considered 'the big picture' going on around him.

"JavKer, warn me if any of that stability changes.
Decker, keep that comm open, but check on T'Lara.

Mcreeg, you're with me".  There didn't seem to be any threats upon them for now, but at least two people needed extraction from the rubble ahead.   Mcreeg was as good a body as anyone to assist ch'Pertha in getting them out.

So, with that, ch'Pertha joined Mcreeg ... headed into the collapsed section of the corridor ... looking for D'rala and her companion.
They were the first of the Abyss crew that his team had found alive, and ch'Pertha didn't intend to let that change.

...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---...

(three relatively softs, three loud three iteratively softs)