The away team materialized inside the structure, their flashlights cutting through the dim, dust-filled corridors. The air was stale, and the walls were lined with rusted bulkheads and exposed conduits, suggesting years of neglect. The blue skin of the Andorian was briefly illuminated by the flashlights as Keslara raised her weapon, scanning her surroundings and adjusting to the darkness.

“Get in formation. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here. Kane.”

“Already on it,” Darius replied, making quick scans of the area for potential threats. “No lifesigns detected, but faint energy fluctuations suggest movement.” He raised his rifle, its mounted light illuminating a specific direction. “That way.”

Keslara turned her attention to Aneesa. “Quinn.”

Aneesa held up a finger while tapping with her other hand on the wall panel. “I’m attempting to gain access to the system… but its language is unfamiliar.” She narrowed her eyes as she worked through an entry. “Got something, but it’s encrypted and partially corrupted, probably due to database damage.”

“Revek?” Keslara shifted her attention to her operations officer, the team’s direct link to the Himalaya.

“The Captain says he’ll keep monitoring our progress and react as soon as something is off. He’s quite interested in that data, Lieutenant Quinn.”

Both Keslara and Aneesa responded in sync, “Of course he is.”

The team moved deeper into the station. The further they went, the more the station’s design suggested it wasn’t an ordinary installation. Quinn discovered fragmented logs, indicating it was part of a classified project.

“Fascinating. This base, or whatever it is, has quite a few secrets.” Aneesa’s voice carried too much excitement for comfort.

Studying their surroundings, Keslara remained cautious. “Quinn, could this be Starfleet-built, or is it something else entirely?”

Aneesa shrugged, not entirely sure. “Data is incomplete. Scans mostly indicate the station has been self-managing, its systems are running on some kind of cycle.” She kept her tricorder scanning, hoping for a more conclusive reading.

“Commander.”

Darius’s voice echoed slightly as Keslara turned toward him. He stood at a sealed bulkhead, his rifle aimed at deep scratches and impact marks along its surface.

“Something happened here.” He pointed at the gouges. “Looks like someone, or something, tried to break out.”

Keslara stepped beside him, narrowing her eyes as she raised a hand to touch the door.

“Wait.”

Thal quickly scanned the bulkhead, his expression tightening. “The structure is unstable. Something’s interfering with the power core.” He gestured toward a flickering crystal embedded in the wall, its glow pulsing erratically.

Keslara withdrew her hand.

Suddenly, Adrián’s voice crackled over the comms.

“Himalaya to away team. We’re detecting an external energy surge building up, we don’t know where it’s coming from. Be careful. If it gets too dangerous, fall back to the transport zone.”

“Understood.” Keslara acknowledged the warning swiftly.

Then… the station’s long-dormant power grid came to life.

Consoles flickered, illuminating a central chamber with cold, sterile light. The air hummed with a strange resonance, as if the station itself was waking up.

The team stopped in their tracks, their flashlights sweeping toward the now-illuminated corridors.

Aneesa quickly moved to a wall panel, her fingers flying over the controls. “Activation sequence detected, it’s a protocol executing itself.”

Darius immediately raised his rifle. “That’s bad news.”

Aneesa hesitated, clearly uncertain. “I don’t know. I can’t tell if it’s defensive… or something worse.”

The situation was deteriorating fast.

“We need to move back to extraction,” Keslara ordered, her instincts screaming at her. A dormant station was one thing, an unknown station actively coming online was an entirely different situation.

“That might be a problem.”

Thal was staring at his tricorder, his voice carrying a note of concern. “The transport signal is unstable. The Himalaya might not be able to get a lock on us.”

A low hum sounded from Darius as he slowly raised his rifle again, aiming toward the end of the corridor.

“We’ve got company.”

Keslara stiffened. “What do you see?”

Darius didn’t lower his weapon. “Something’s here. A physical presence. But…” He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “It’s not visible on sensors.”

Then…the station changed.

The flickering lights turned deep red.

A blaring alarm roared through the corridors.

Before they could react, metal shutters slammed shut, sealing them inside.

Automated defenses had activated.

The away team was trapped.