The Dawn Breaks
XCOM:_Gray_Dawn#Recaps
Previous ... Next
Day 1, continued.
Marie attempts to finish the communication set up, only to be terrified by voices (real or imaginary) lurking after her in the dark while she is alone.
The group is exhausted and tries to sleep. This foolhardy plan is cut short when AJ catches a drone in the barn where they are staying. It is fiddling around with his cell phone, then his wallet. AJ tackles it, and he and Brock trap it under a box. A call comes in from Naomi, who has been repeatedly calling trying to get a line through. She is abandoning her position at home to reunite their family. It is revealed that the only reason the call went through is because the drone (or whatever is controlling it) somehow patched the transmission through its own comms. Contact with an alien entity (variously known as Droney, Han Solo, James Tiberius Kirk, Scott, Paul, Droney, and finally "um...we forgot to ask his name" because all the alien's suggestions would not make their report sound less insane if they could tell it to the proper authorities).
It was revealed that the drone was speaking for another entity, being used as a medium of communication. The entity on the other end of the line (speaking only through text messages) was reluctant to reveal his "true" name or the name of his people, saying that the words were either untranslatable or would be meaningless to humans. He claimed that one translation for the name of his people might be "the Mercenaries", but settled for the time being on "Draco," as his homeworld lies almost directly in-line (albeit far beyond) the star Aldhibah (Zeta Draconis) in the quadrangle of the constellation's "head." -This part was not actually revealed in-game, but made up ex post facto by your illustrious GM who didn't do all his homework and hadn't prepared answers to all the questions the players might ask-
Meanwhile, the drone also shows AJ (via a video feed within its upper lens) the live video images streaming from one of a group of drones elsewhere. The feed shows a I-5 near exit 111 (Marvin Road). A minivan with a flat tire dominates the feed. The vehicle belongs to AJ's wife, Naomi. Thermal imaging shows two heat signatures coming down the wooded roadside embankment toward her. The drones use a silent, deadly weapon system to dispatch the potential attackers. This shocking revelation hits close to home for AJ, and he must step away for a moment to figure out what to do while his family is in danger.
Questioning of Droney ensues while AJ and Brock use the helicopter to get to AJ's stranded family. On the scene, the drones are being rabidly protective, and have created a mess of a flaming roadblock by blasting incoming vehicles. Several people are using wrecked cars for cover to fire at the drones. As AJ & Brock swoop in, one of the drones blasts an attacker with a high-explosive "energy ball," and Brock drops AJ off to reunite with his wife and children. Brock drives off the last attacker, and with the drones flanking, they provide aerial cover for AJ to drive his family back to Elma. They encounter several people on the roadside with broken-down vehicles trying to flag them down for help. AJ ignores their pleas, intervening only once when they encounter a man trying to break into an occupied car using a tire iron. Brock flies close, trying to shoo the guy off by yelling at him, only to be cursed and shot at. A lucky shot wings Brock, as AJ swerves to turn the attacker into grill dressing. They all depart, leaving the woman in the car to her own fate. The reality they face is that so many people need desperate help, but AJ & Brock are powerless to help them all (or even a few).
Back at the Wilson farm, Doug is naturally suspicious of the drone. This wariness almost becomes homicidal when the drone encroaches on the sanctity of Doug's nearby computer. Seeing Doug's reaction to this affront, the drone ceases the scan, which barely mollifies the paranoid vet. Doug is doubly wary that the drone has chosen to talk to them, trying to convince the others that the powers-that-be will look especially unkindly on them all for daring to meddle in business that they would naturally see as their own (e.g. making first contact and negotiating with an extraterrestrial). He suggests the group should kindly make introductions between Draco and the government and perhaps wash their hands of him.
During the night's questioning, the group learns that Draco is fighting a group known as "The Collective." They are dominating and expansionistic. His presence here will lead the Collective to Earth, and when they discover the world is inhabited, they will likely try to enslave/destroy humanity. Draco wants humanity's assistance, claiming that "without them, he will be killed and his mission will fail. Without him, the human race will surely be enslaved." Draco says that the Collective appear to have a few fast scout vessels in-system already, with the first wave of their faster vessels due to arrive in the Sol system within 20-30 days. Slower invasion ships will come later.
Before dawn rolls up, some of Doug's ongoing sky-watching reveals a continuing stream of meteors heading toward Earth. The bombardment has swept across the surface of the entire planet, and looks to follow up for round two. AJ makes contact with Captain Newton again, and details his plan to try and get in contact with Governor Jay Inslee regarding "discoveries" they have made. Captain Newton doesn't discourage AJ and the group, but can't really offer much help, either. He does share, however, that the wildlife the infantry company and Rangers have been battling have largely begun to bypass them, heading east of their location. He also shares that the East coast is being hammered again, and if they plan on talking to anybody, they better plan on doing it in the next 3 hours or so, as he knows more meteors are inbound, due to arrive at about the same time they did the previous day...
So much for getting a few hours of much needed rest! Our weary protagonists must march on through this deprivation in hopes of bringing their discoveries to the attention of the authorities who might be able to make use of the information.
