The vast deserts of Klendath.
Wastelands, virtually devoid of life.
It was very hard to traverse these deserts by earth, as settlements were so spread apart that it would take much planning and resources, as well as a lot of time to cross.
Very few were capable of it. Many would rather take a helicopter or similar airborne vehicle, as that cut down on the amount of time it took to get from one place to the other.
Here, far east of Whiskey Colony, a group of twelve, a nomadic sort of group, were gathered around a fire as the sun sets. At night, temperatures could get very low. This group of Oberon carried with them on their treaded bikes various supplies, the most necessary of which being water and food. They also carried some firearms, many of them outdated in comparison to the MP series of nanite firearms, but which could still serve their purpose as defensive weaponry. These were a group of Mobile Infantry militiamen, a force of a past age, now converted to basic law enforcement and reserve forces. They are on their way to a bunker in Echo Colony, where they can prepare for the aftershocks of what they think is coming after the news of the Expeditionary Crew.
They give their thanks to the desert as the sun goes down, and then the only thing left is the fire and the stillness of the desert night.
A bright flash lights up the night sky above Yukikaze City for a split second. Any observant passerby that happened to be looking up and wasn't temporarily blinded would notice stars being blackened out, in a directly straight line coming from the origination of the flash. It seemed there was a single, small aircraft, flying across the night sky.
Aboard the aircraft.
"-procedures for that?" Taylor says, looking down at his control panel, then back up as he notices a lack of light. "What the frakkin hell is this?" He says to himself, utterly confused. "Base? You there? What the hell just happened?" He tries to comm his aircraft carrier, unknowingly in vain. He tries over and over to reach AC-226, his fighter flying almost silently under the night sky.
The Revenge, sitting in the docking bay, had docked itself to the left of the Asylian ship when it recieved the message to all waiting ships that 'Space Station Z was closed to the public'. The captain, AAD-199, briefly wonders (if that's what a quick flash of information processing across the robots' AI circuitry) if there is any danger on board Space Station Z. So he dispatches a small group of three scout androids, armed with disrupter weaponry and fully able to think for themselves, but also able to combine their consciousnesses to transmit thoughts to each other. STA-579, 566, and 429 all walk down the ships ramp, not sure what to expect. They quickly take in the Asylian ship near them and send a message to the captain, who felt something resembling the human emotion of anticipation. The androids then continue to where the Aschen soldiers had literally just been let in, and, uncapable of feeling fear, just stand there, as the lights flash overhead. 566 even waves to NC7-Alpha. Then 429 relays the message to the other two, "Should we continue?" through verbal communication. 579 responds with, "I suppose so." So they advance up to Peter Rovontea.
The Discovery VII caught the signal, to slight panic of the helmsman that was quickly suppressed. The translated words washed over the intercom of the ship, then the beckoning of Paul to the other Oberon Astronaut. It was quite obvious they had been detected. They weren't quite sure what to do, but quickly decided on cooperation, as they weren't sure of the level of reception they were recieving, but any untranslated communication from here on out would be defaulted as hostility. Making no attempt to move forward any farther or even to send a response to the senders of the signal, they froze all movement. For the first time, Paul noticed a thin line of metallic-seeming objects, but there was no time to observe now. They wanted to show a specific lack of hostile intent, so they only good choice they could make was absolute cooperation. Paul quickly uses his BrainPal interface to put in a quick log of what had just happened. By now, three of the four crewmates were waking up and slowly beginning to regain their senses.
A vehicle, looking like an older standard automobile, appears out of a warp.
A man steps out, shielding his eyes against the sun, pulls out a briefcase and a Vacuum, then closes the door to his car. He locks the door with a key, then pockets it. The man seems rather out of place as he looks around, noticing Graham. He waves frantically, dropping his briefcase, then picks it up quickly. He jogs over to him, still holding the Vacuum, slowing down to a walk as he gets within about five yards of the desert-dweller. "Howdy! Do you mind telling me where I've ended up?" He looks slightly confused as he says this, peering around, his hand still shielding his eyes from the sun, but quickly focuses and looks directly at Graham. "I have a once-in-a-lifetime offer for you, and I know you'll be interested!"