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[S34N1C]

Return to our ship and scan for nearby signals.

[Carefulrogue]

Another ship was in battle with the destroyed/abandoned ship we just explored, right?  Which brings up the question, is there wreckage around? 

Lack of medical supplies suggests the crew abandoned ship with all hands.  Search for life/escape/emergency-pods. Secondary task next to checking the scanners.

[Chiefwaffles]

This debris field is actually formed from the wreckage of both ships. They were fairly close together when they were destroyed. Finishing that observation, you switch on the active sensor sweep with a couple of added parameters. This time you're going to be looking for anything that could resemble a lifeboat.
An hour or so of monotone NOTHING FOUND notices, you finally get something on the sensors.

It's a small ship - one that could probably fit multiple people on it somewhat like a shuttle, you assume. Its level of maneuverability seems to suggest it's an actual craft, not just a lifepod. The ship's making careful precise movements that seem to indicate some type of interplanetary maneuver, but it's hard to tell. Some additional analysis and tuning of sensors as well as communications also shows that they're broadcasting and receiving the same types of communication signals you encountered earlier.

2 systems away from next Waypoint.

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)

Wearing: Vacuum Suit & Mothership Engineer Uniform

Spoiler: Cargo (click to show/hide)

- Radiation Protection Suit

[S34N1C]

Attempt to communicate.

[Carefulrogue]

+1
Might as well.

Scan and cross reference for a source or indication from which the gravitational absorber may be unnecessarily taking strain.  Basically, triangulate.

[Chiefwaffles]

See, that's a problem. You can't communicate. Not right now at this precise moment, at least.
Your ship's computer isn't that advanced or that autonomous, and you feel like you're the same. In order to communicate, you have to either somehow determine the format of their signals and change Communications to receive and send that signal. This is actually a very hard task because reverse engineering is way harder than it looks - something you just discovered today. If you had more information other than the data Communications is reporting, you could try something out, but you don't. At the end of the day, you need either some kind of computer or terminal or whatever that is able to interpret their signals, or you need to talk to them in person. Translation of a language should be easy, though. That comes standard even in Emergency Ships.

You've also already tried finding a source for the gravitational strain. Even with the very limited equipment and your laughable triangulation techniques, you were able to determine that there's no one specific source. It's simply 'approaching' your ship from all discernible directions, and trying to single out any individual part of this is frankly just impossible.

2 systems away from next Waypoint.

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)

Wearing: Vacuum Suit & Mothership Engineer Uniform

Spoiler: Cargo (click to show/hide)

- Radiation Protection Suit

Spoiler: GM Note (click to show/hide)

If I'm being too hard on you in terms of "what-to-do-now", let me know. Lone Galaxy is intended to have a puzzle-y aspect, but I can always tone it down or give hints if no one has any idea what to do.

[Kashyyk]

I'm assuming we could beam a copy of whatever they're sending back to them if we wanted to?

If so, I feel we should start playing the "First Contact through Maths" game.

Anyway more on this communication they're giving out. Does it appear random, or does it appear to loop? If it's random, then odds are it's an active communication, but if it's a loop someone could have just activated an SOS beacon.

Either way, if we want to communicate with them, send their own signal back would be a good way to get their attention.

[VoidSlayer]

What about just constantly broadcasting our signal to them?  Maybe they have someone or equipment that can reverse engineer it instead?  That is assuming they care about contacting us.

We need to find the source of this interference and shut it down and we have crap sensors and no weapons so getting in contact is really the only way.

Or examine the other planet?

[Carefulrogue]

My two cents:
I'm not entirely sure initiating communication is a good idea.  We know there is an unknown alien race that attacked our species/nation.  These could be them, but I'm not so sure, given it would appear to have been weaker (assumption.)  We know very little, and how would they react?  There clearly is a presence of aliens in the system, so it's possibly they have no understanding of FTL travel, as the known hostile and our own species can. 

As to what to do... I don't know.   The situation with the unusual engine/reactor might be related to the current problem with the sensor, but I don't want to test that too far.  It's off, so I think it'd be a good guess that it's unrelated to anything except the gravitational wave experienced. 

A hint might be useful at this point.

[Chiefwaffles]

You spend some more time looking at the specifics of the signals being sent from the ship. It appears most of it has a regular pattern but there are some random elements present. They could be transmitting to multiple entities at the same time, perhaps. You sigh and set Communications to replicate the signal and transmit it back towards them. You also decide to broadcast a standard hail transmission on repeat in case they turn out to be smarter than you. You consider some other options, such as setting course to the other habitable planet, but you ultimately don't do anything just yet out of indecision.

A decent amount of time later, your Sensors wake you from what was apparently you sleeping.
ENTITY #391 NOW ON INTERCEPT COURSE WITH SHIP
Huh. That's usually not a particularly good sign. You look out of the cockpit to see their ship slowly approaching yours. You also glance at the sensor data, which reveals that at these speeds neither ship should be damaged. Assuming their ship isn't made out of tin foil, at least.

What now? Your main dilemma is whether to pull away or to 'accept' it. That ship must have some reason for doing this, after all. Hopefully.
2 systems away from next Waypoint.

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)

Wearing: Vacuum Suit & Mothership Engineer Uniform

Spoiler: Cargo (click to show/hide)

- Radiation Protection Suit

[Carefulrogue]

Well... I say fuck it.  Let them approach.  By us transmitting the signal back, they are likely thinking we similar to them, although our own signal may be throwing them for a loop. 

[Kashyyk]

This is about as well as we could expect it to go so far.

On the off chance they've met some other FTL-capable species we know, I think should switch to transmitting "Hello" in as many different languages as possible.

If they doesn't work, we then play the first contact by maths game:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 
The objective of this is to slowly build up a mutually understood encoding, allowing more complex communication. As it stands, we have no idea how they encode information for transmission, so all we can do is parrot their own words back to them.
Broadcast the first ten prime numbers in raw binary at them, with no encryption or encoding at all. Literally as simple as it can get. If they don't understand binary, then I have no idea how they computers, let alone spaceships.

Then broadcast them again, but skipping the fourth and ninth number. Hopefully they'll cotton on to the maths question and send us the right answer. (Being the missing numbers).

We then do this a few more times, using analogue to represent higher bases of number. Each time asking the same question.

We then add a small layer of encoding and send them the same question. Hopefully they'll have figured out the pattern, and try to "crack the code". We then keep doing this, adding another layer each time until we're at a point where we're sending the numbers using standard encoding.

As we have no way of telling them the game, we just have to hope they have a similar plan for meeting extraterrestrial life and cotton on quickly.

[x2yzh9]

This is about as well as we could expect it to go so far.

On the off chance they've met some other FTL-capable species we know, I think should switch to transmitting "Hello" in as many different languages as possible.

If they doesn't work, we then play the first contact by maths game:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 
The objective of this is to slowly build up a mutually understood encoding, allowing more complex communication. As it stands, we have no idea how they encode information for transmission, so all we can do is parrot their own words back to them.
Broadcast the first ten prime numbers in raw binary at them, with no encryption or encoding at all. Literally as simple as it can get. If they don't understand binary, then I have no idea how they computers, let alone spaceships.

Then broadcast them again, but skipping the fourth and ninth number. Hopefully they'll cotton on to the maths question and send us the right answer. (Being the missing numbers).

We then do this a few more times, using analogue to represent higher bases of number. Each time asking the same question.

We then add a small layer of encoding and send them the same question. Hopefully they'll have figured out the pattern, and try to "crack the code". We then keep doing this, adding another layer each time until we're at a point where we're sending the numbers using standard encoding.

As we have no way of telling them the game, we just have to hope they have a similar plan for meeting extraterrestrial life and cotton on quickly.

+1 to this.
After doing so, send them a visual image of your craft and a representation of a simple gravitational anomaly, but all replicated using the above patterns in methodical communication.

[Carefulrogue]

After doing so, send them a visual image of your craft and a representation of a simple gravitational anomaly, but all replicated using the above patterns in methodical communication.

That will not work.  Why? Because of the protocols for processing data is very different, and it's incredibly unlikely that a sentient alien race would develop the exact same technology.  There are hints in some of Chief's other works, but very few of those progressed very far. 

[x2yzh9]

After doing so, send them a visual image of your craft and a representation of a simple gravitational anomaly, but all replicated using the above patterns in methodical communication.

That will not work.  Why? Because of the protocols for processing data is very different, and it's incredibly unlikely that a sentient alien race would develop the exact same technology.  There are hints in some of Chief's other works, but very few of those progressed very far.

right, okay well thanks for the info.redact my statement earlier and just do what kashykk said