The holographic image of the structure, or what was left of it, was rotating slowly above the conference table.

“I thought most of those were gone,” Tani stared at the image.

“Gone or mostly forgotten,” Alex replied. “Lieutenant?”

Logan cleared his throat, “What you are looking at, lady and gentlemen, is K-13. It was originally designed to serve as a starship refueling station.” Logan looked at his PADD, “It was gifted to a company called Ongenity after its decommission.” He motioned to the model, “It’s fallen on hard times. Clearly.” He set down his PADD, “Never mind the fact it’s a million years old.”

“A hundred and fifty-two, actually,” Priam corrected.

“What happened to the rest of it?” Alex asked. “It’s supposed to have three secondary modules. I only count one.”

“It looks like the KA module was detached,” Logan said. “I haven’t been able to figure out why. I have the sensors looking for it, but my guess is it’s long gone.” He shrugged, “Picked up by a ship? Collapsed when structural integrity failed? Who’s to say?”

“The KC module,” Priam spoke up, “had a detonation occur, shearing off the module from the corresponding corridor.”

“Was the explosion internal or external?” Alex asked.

“It looks to be internal, judging by the burn marking. The area has been sealed off to prevent decompression.”

The room fell uncomfortably silent.

“And that’s it? That’s all we have?” Alex questioned exasperatingly. “Where’s the distress signal originating from? Any lifeforms aboard the station?”

Priam sighed, “Unfortunately, there’s some sort of magnetic resonance permeating throughout the station. I believe it’s the remnants of the shields. It’s causing flares that are making sensor readings difficult.”

“So no transporting,” Alex mused. “What are our boarding options?”

The model zoomed in on the KB module, “Our best bet are docking ports located here and here,” Logan pointed.

Alex looked at the model with steepled fingers, “Can you navigate through the magnetic flares?”

Logan clutched his chest and gasped, “I’m hurt.”

“I’m serious.”

“In a ship this size? It’s not a problem since we’re pretty maneuverable. Anything bigger and it would get dicey.”

Alex nodded and cleared his throat. “All right then, our mission objectives are straightforward: Find the source of the signal and deactivate it. Search for any survivors, as unlikely as it may be. We’ll split into two teams: Priam and I will make our way to Engineering to see if we can get some systems online. Commander Veva and Carter will sweep the decks, looking for survivors. And keep an eye out for any information on what may have happened here. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something wrong about all this.”

“You mean it’s  not normal to go into a spooky, derelict station to track down a distress signal when no one would reasonably be alive?” Tani said with a grin.

“When you put it like that…” Alex said. “Carter, start the docking procedure. I’ll meet you on the bridge shortly. Dismissed.”