Ruined Station

… has boarded the station with a team of researchers and managed to restore power to some sections. It appears that it was inhabited mere centuries before … took to space. At first sight, it appears to have been a weapons station, as evidenced by the exceptionally large cannon that takes up the majority of its volume. However, most of the remaining sections seem to have been dedicated to research facilities, indicating that the weapon was likely highly experimental.

… can't help but notice that an abnormally large number of apparently undamaged systems in the station seem to be failing with excessive frequency, even allowing for their age.

Upon reactivating them for the umpteenth time, agonized screams are heard from the team's comp tech: "What? Why? How?!" The stream of distressed and incredulous noises continues unabated for some time before … shakes … head, defeated. "It seems this entire facility was cobbled together with duct tape," … says. "I'm surprised it ever worked."

Despite the frequent outages, … has been able to make significant progress in deciphering the purpose of the station. Logs indicate that its creators, the "Rudari," had been engaged in a long struggle with a genocidal race known as the "Pogg-Mory" - a war they were losing. In a desperate last-ditch effort to turn the tide, a radical group of Rudari politicians concluded that the only way to guarantee their survival was through the total annihilation of the enemy. Unable to defeat the Pogg-Mory fleet by conventional means, they funded a top secret project to build a laser weapon capable of firing across interstellar space by harnessing the power of a star. However, it appears that while they could throw considerable resources at the problem, the project was hastily set up and in constant danger of discovery - either by the enemy or by factions within their own government unwilling to stoop to such measures.

… has uncovered the Rudari Chief Science Officer's personal logs, which read as a litany of complaints about the seemingly impossible demands of the project and their rapidly falling quality and safety standards. "There is no time to test anything," reads one of the last entries. "This is the last gambit of my people, and the enemy has our scent. We must hope that this is enough. They are coming."

The logs indicate that the weapon was due to be tested soon after, at which point all records cease. Evidence suggests that the superweapon succeeded only in destroying the station. The Rudari seemingly took the secret of its location to their graves - allowing us to find its remains undisturbed.

Neither the programming nor the general condition of the station are good enough for us to risk trying to reactivate it and complete the project. However, some of the innovative concepts used in the "Death Laser" have provided our own weapons specialists with valuable insights.