1×03: Day Three (Continued)

• Debris has finally stopped falling and all of the characters find themselves buried under dirt due to what appears to be a massive explosion deeper within Cody. They immediately begin digging themselves out. Reece is the first out, and he quickly starts trying to extract others so they can begin working on search-and-rescue ops for other potential survivors.
• During the SAR op, Chandler discovers the body of Reece’s mother, but does not advise him at the moment, thinking that the deputy sheriff needs to focus. John also finds his ex, Julia, but she’s pinned down and clearly mortally wounded; with their son freaking out over this, John promises to look after him and holds her hand until she passes. Later, he will be disgusted to learn that Julia’s useless boyfriend, Richard, somehow survived with minor injuries.
• Few of those pulled from the debris are alive and most that are still alive happen to be mortally wounded beyond what Wells is capable of dealing with as he’s only a paramedic. Among those grievously injured is Reece’s father who passes away soon after.
• At Reece’s direction, the survivors endeavor to get clear via the truck (and Chandler’s ATV) that is half-buried as well. They are now on a time-table as Chandler, the expert in landslides, is greatly concerned that the whole mess that was the Burroughs ranch is going to collapse entirely. As they are struggling to get the truck clear, a squad of the attacking bugs top the rise, forcing those upright to scramble for cover and ready weapons.
• It takes a great deal of firepower to drop these things, and in the process, the other surviving, uninjured sheriff takes a round to the head which kills him instantly. Fortunately, he is the only casualty, but even one is too much. When the last of the bugs has finally stopped moving, the team scramble to make good their escape, pausing only briefly to strap one of the dead bugs on the back of Chandler’s ATV (so they can examine it in more detail later.)
• As they flee to the south, some of the survivors are able to see large flying … things erupt from the ground and take up a stationary position over the ruins of Cody, though they have spotlights and seem to be searching for something. Abruptly, an immense, ground-shaking trumpet-like sound is heard coming from the south.
• And then, they see something else descending to the south…

Player Notes:

• The delay in this recap is entirely my fault. I was feeling lazy.
• I’d already mentioned to Gigermann that the firefight which dominated the back half of the session felt entirely too static somehow, though I don’t know how it could have been better. We got a clue about how much damage we need to dish out to drop one of the bugs but in retrospect, they probably should have been more aggressive and acted more tactically. Still, it’s early days and with the way we were rolling, a TPK would not have been out of the question if they’d pressed us harder.
• I had been considering whether to buy Julia as an Ally for Heinlein in order to keep her alive, but alas, I was too late.
• I’d already joked with Giger that somewhere, there was a Lieutenant Commander Shepard who has been warning everyone about this attack but nobody listened to him or her…

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.