The USS San Clemente dropped out of warp with the usual shudder in the deck plating. Brunak swore it was just the ships ‘way of saying hello’, she was a well-seasoned vessel after all. Ahead hung a yellow/white star with three planets orbiting around. Only one was habitable, lush green vegetation circled by rings of aurora. Relay 12 floated in orbit in the system.

Captain Jorik Traven leant forward in his chair, the creaking of the leather heard across the bridge. “Saell, report.”

The chief science officer had already initiated her scans of the relay and the surrounding system. “The relay is showing some power fluctuations across subspace but nothing unusual. Wait,”

She hesitated a second.

Traven turned toward her, “wait?” Traven prompted her.

“The relay, it’s not just broadcasting on starfleet frequencies, there’s something else. It’s receiving something from the planet.”

The bridge went quiet.

Lt Cdr. T’Lenar tapped a few buttons on her console, “there’s a pre warp civilisation reportedly on the planet”

“Confirmed,” Saell nodded toward the first officer and the captain. “surface reading indicate a bronze-age development at most. No industry, no satellites, but the relay is definitely receiving directed signals from the surface.”

Lt Sh’rol th’Varak frowned, his Andorian antennae twitched. “If they’re transmitting, it can’t be indigenous, possible treat, I recommend going to red alert.”

Traven folded his arms, “I think that’s jumping the gun a little Sh’rol, helm put us into orbit. Let’s find out who’s talking to our relay.”

The vessel banked into position.

The vessel manoeuvred a little closer to the relay, Saell, tapping her console, put the incoming signal though the speakers on the bridge. It wasn’t a language as such or a data packet, it was music. At least to many of the bridge crew, that is what it sounded like.

The melody wasn’t recognisable, but it was structured.

Lt Kree, at the helm, sat back in his chair. “Well, if we are going to get haunted by a planet, at least this one has rhythm.”

Sh’rol scowled at the sound, “that’s not music, it’s some sort of code!” he said brashly.

“Music is code,” Saell countered. “It’s mathematics in motion, though, whoever is sending it is doing so deliberately.”

Traven sighed, “mute it, Saell isolate the signal and analyse, T’Lenar, please assist.”

His Vulcan first officer was already on her feet and heading to the science station alongside Saell.

The melody ended, Sh’rol’s scowl disappeared, but the bridge felt emptier without it.

“Initial analysis”, Saell said. “not random, repeating notes, increasing complexity within. It’s almost as if someone is responding to the relay.”

“If we did not know better, it would seem that the inhabitants are answering our arrival” T’Lenar continued.

They continued to analyse the signal, hoping to find it’s source.

Later, the senior staff had gathered in the observation lounge, Traven was stood at the head of the table, PADD in hand.

“Let’s go through this again, we have a pre-warp planet transmitting signals into a Starfleet communications relay. There is no evidence of an advanced civilisation on the planet and no evidence of an outside influence. Options?” he said, looking at his staff around the table.

T’lenar began, “General Order One applies, no outside interference.”

Sh’rol angrily interrupted, “they are already interfering with is, they are directing transmissions to Starfleet property.”

Korren smiled toward the agitated Andorian, “what is your plan? March down there in force and confiscate any technology?”

Brunak grunted, “if it keeps them from interfering with our tech then I’ll help them pack it up to ship.”

Dr Paldor raised her hand, “They’re not harming anyone or anything. If anything they’re curious about something in the stars.”

Counsellor Venn nodded, “I sense no malice from the planet, it feels…. Exploratory.”

Kree leaned forward onto the table, “so first contact, but make it Karaoke?”

Traven looked toward him, confused as to whether the Lt was being serious or simply making another one of ‘his’ jokes.

“I’m serious,” Kree continued, “I don’t mean we go down there with a microphone, but could we reply in kind?”

Saell considered it for a moment, “technically it wouldn’t break the prime directive. If we created a closed loop between the ship and relay with nothing visible to the rest of the planet.”

T’Lenar raised her eyebrow, “your suggested is to ‘sing’ to them Lieutenant?”

“technically…. yes” Kree replied.

Traven wasn’t 100% that this was the correct action, but the Mente had to do something. Therefore, the USS San Clemente was about to undertake the strangest first contact attempt he’s heard of.

Saell had developed an algorithm to attempt to map the tones that the relay had been receiving. Kree, of course, volunteered to ‘pilot the melody’, Sora joined him to add her empathic abilities if required.

In Cargo bay three Korren assisted Saell to set up a temporary transmitter that was separate to the ships main systems, just in case. The first phase of their reply echoed into the relay, they used standard Federation frequencies, similar to what the relay had been receiving but enough that someone listening would hear a difference.

The alien signal responded almost immediately. Repeating the frequencies back to them, but in a flourish.

Sora clapped as the readings came through, “they answered!”

Kree leaned forward toward the console and tapped the controls. “ok, how about we give them something with a little beat.”

Saell whispered under her breath, “how about using scientific vigour.” A little to late, even of he heard, he’s already inputted something…. Interesting.

A reply came again, it was increasingly clear that an intelligence was behind the mysterious signal.

Sora’s eyes widened, “they’re excited. They understand they’re getting a response.”

Back on the bridge Traven and T’Lenar were monitoring the situation. He rubbed his head looking at his first officer “we’ve officially become the galaxy’s worst band.”

She raised an eyebrow in response.

A few hours past, the exchange had grown into a duet. Federation algorithms and the unknown signal weaved together and created complex pattens. Saell frowned at the readout, something was wrong.

She tapped her combadge “Captain, something is…. Happening.”

His response came across the comm, “report Lieutenant.”

“It’s the relay Captain. It’s transforming the signal, somehow amplifying it. It’s began broadcasting across all subspace channels. Far beyond the relay’s range”

“meaning?” Traven responded.

“It’s just started transmitting across half the sector.” Saell continued.

Ens Zoral turned to the Captain on the bridge, “Captain, incoming transmission from Deep Space 17, command as asking why the relay has become a concert hall.”

Traven pinched the bridge of his nose, “Tell them…. We’re stress testing subspace communications from the relay.”

T’Lenar tilted her head, “that is not entirely…. Untrue.”

By the next morning the signal had tapered off. Whoever was sending them had answered with one last phase. It was a single cord then held steady before fading.

Saell closed the channel and tapped her combadge, “Captain, they’ve finished, they seem to have said all they wanted to say.”

The relay returned to normal operations, it was no longer receiving a signal. The senior staff assembled in the observation lounge.

“We learned something, a people who communicated in song reached out to us to communicate and we were able to reply,” Sora began, “the signal wasn’t from this system Captain, someone was using it to reach us.”

“If not from here, then where?” Traven responded looking toward his assembled senior staff.

T’Lenar inclined her head “initial analysis indicates the origin to be somewhere within the Shakleton Expanse. Everything was recorded, Captain. By responding only through the relay we have remained unseen.”

Kree leaned back smiling, “so, did we host the best battle of the bands or what?”

Traven sighed, looking around and this sometimes infuriating but effective crew. “Log it as a successful repair of the relay, with incidental musical interference. Saell continue to analyse the data send everything you have to command.”

She nodded in response, “it may take some time without any context, but I’ll give it a shot.”

He paused for a second then stood, “command have ordered the TF to support the exploration of the expanse, we’re waiting out for further details, maybe we’ll find the origin there.” He stood to walk out the room then turned, “Oh and for the record, no more impromptu concerts.”

Kree smiled, “understood Captain. Next time we’ll sell tickets.”

The room groaned in unison.

Later that night, Sora was filling out her personal log.

“the ship is quiet tonight, except for the tune that seems to be stuck in everyone’s head. I don’t know if we made first contact tonight or just sang with others in the void. However, for one day, the Mente wasn’t just fixing things out here. We were part of a song much bigger than us, and that feels worth remembering.”