Open Invasion Dusty Takes A Bite of Ploo

[Dusty Daytonus]

It was good to be the king.

Since King Daytonus had (forcibly) taken the (self-declared) throne of the Ploo system, he had been loving life and living large. He now had two residential palaces, one on his home of Ploo IV and the other on Ploo II. He had been sampling the local culture of his newly conquered planet (those Fluggrian women were really something) and he found it to his liking. The losses suffered during the initial invasion? Rancor Squadron's training, the merging of the two Ploo militaries, and the arrival of a specialized doctor meant that they were back in fighting shape and with new Mandalorian-designed uniforms to boot! True, there was still some tension between the native Fluggrians and the conquering Glymphids but Dusty was hopeful that enduring a few battles together would turn those Ploo foes into Ploo friends. As for now though, Dusty's army was the biggest and only authority in the entire Ploo sector and he was loving it.

King of an entire sector - Mama Daytonus would have been proud.

But, as with all things, such novelty could only last for so long. Dusty was easily entertained but also easily bored. He had gone from swoop racing to smuggling to mercenary to politics to invading and, to be frank, he was getting a bit antsy. He delegated most of the day-to-day political nonsense to his advisors and council, leaving him free to partake in gambling, racing, orgies, getting drunk, and all other manner of kingly activities. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't missing the thrilling taste of a good battle.

That's why he'd set his sights on Serroco. Located in the Ploo sector, it would be a good testing ground for his newly uniformed troops to see how well they could work together. The muddy plains had long ago been devastated during the Mandalorian Wars and a few primitive stone cities and glass craters were all that remained of the once-great civlization. Of course, there was also the native Stereb species whose tall height and muscular frames would make for excellent shock troopers if they could be convinced to see the wisdom of accepting Dusty Daytonus as their new liege lord.

Not that he didn't have faith in his troops but Dusty had used some of the royal coffers to hire a few mercenaries (@Nor'baal ) and spacers to give his troops some insurance, just in case. As he entered his own A-Wing and met up with the makeshift sector fleet to prepare for a jump to hyperspace, Dusty called out for all wing leaders and mercenaries to call in.

 

[The Triplets]

Between the three of them Shug, Roona and Veexa reckoned they made quite a formidable augment to any invading force. Indeed, they'd undoubtedly bigged themselves up when applying for the gig, only to find out they'd been one of the few people to do so. Shug had insisted to his siblings that they had only been hired due to a lack of choice on the behalf of their client.

Roona and Veexa disagreed.

Almost as soon as they had arrived planetside, the tiny tyrants had swiftly moved to secure themselves a base of operations. They'd done so by moving their collection of weapons and droid parts into a Sienar-Chall Utilipede Transport. Within days, they had retrofitted the ship with shockingly illegal modifications.

Military grade maneuvaring jets had been installed alongside an aftermarket deflector shield - noth installed as Veexas insistance. Roona, on the other hand, had been adamant they gear the ship up for something 'more useful'. As such, he had installed a bomb tube and an underslung aftermarket blaster, and then painted a vast icon of snarling rancor over the front of the ship.

Shug had kept himself busy with outfitting a collection of droids with mech upgrades. He'd kept three B2s from a local scrapyard, and barely managed to get them back to working order, before gutting them and getting them 'upgraded'.

The three droids stood silently behind them now as their ship punched through the upper atmosphere and into formation.

Standing on a reconfigured pilot's chair on the bridge of their transport, the three Anzellans had turned the chair into a 'command castle', allowing them to oversee the ship's movements, piloted by a pair of droids.

Shug activated the comm and contacted their employer.

"In position bossman. What's the plan?" he asked Dusty.

They'd planned for this mission, and they had planned well. Their droid 'mechs' were ready for a ground deployment, and if the battle was to be done in space - they had planned for that as well.

For their ships cargo bay was packed to the brim with buzz droids, ready to spill forth as soon as they flicked a switch, and opened the cargo bay doors to the inky blackness of space.

When it came to the triplets, they were worth every credit.

 

[Bo'roth Nazzat]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Mercenary. That’s what some would term this figure and they would not be far off from the mark. The creature and his vessel had been serviced as a sellship, in one term of definition; a warrior of fortune, but so much more.

His family, Clan Nazzat, had long since kept to the traditions of their species, refusing to oblige by their people’s ruler who cried for peace. No, the Nazzats would not have it. They were Yautkans of the old way, and theirs was the only way.

THE HUNT. Bo’roth Nazzat thought as sat in his cockpit of Blight. The M12-L Kimoglia heavy starfighter drifted in between the others in this makeshift invasion fleet.

The hunt was all there was. It was a question that a Yautkan had answered. And here one was. “Blight, standing by.” The call would suffice.

Sooner or later, the squadron and the fleet would fall, would descend upon Serroco, and the hunt would begin. The hunter would hunt, the predator would prey, and Bo’roth Nazzat would have his day, whatever the plan.

@Fantasy Liver @Nor'baal

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

Very good. When we land, let's remember to set our weapons to stun. We're only trying to overwhelm them with how great we are - we're not trying to wipe them out. Plus, afterwards, I'd love to have some Steneb bruisers working for me!". Dusty responded to the Anzellan triplets in response to their question. He hoped their reputation was warranted and that they'd be an asset to his forces on the ground.

With that, the invading force jumped into hyperspace. Dusty had raced swoops on the fiery volancoes of Mustafar, had almost died in a breakneck Podrace and chased thrills like he chased skirts but the blue streaks of hyperspace never got old. It always gave him a rush of excitement and wonder, doubly so when there was a potential prize planet waiting for him at the end of it.

After they exited hyperspace above Serroco, Dusty began landing what civillian transports and troop carriers he had on the planets surface, in the plains outside the largest stone city, the best equivalent to a capital city that Serroco had. The landing went somewhat smootjly although one of the walker transports landed on a hill accidentally and was a bit delayed getting his cargo out. The rest of his landing force got into formation and waited for the order to advance upon the city.

Fluggrian infantrymen, Glymphid shock troops decked out in their new Mandalorian inspired armor and four-armed Quermian pistoleers made an intimidating sight to the shocked Stenebs inside the city, bolstered by the sight of Dusty's signature AT-RT platoon and his hired mercenaries.

"Blight stay in the air and deal with any turrets or defenses they have in the city. I doubt these Stone Age wackos have any fighter craft but you never know." Dusty instructed Nazzat, ordering his A-Wing squadron (5 fighters) to follow Blight's command. His landing force almost ready, Dusty ordered them to hold until the fighters pacified the city's defenses.


OOC: Until anyone wants to hop in as opposition or DM the planetary forces, let's just use the dice feature on discord.

Roll for how successful landing is 48/100: slightly below average.

@Die Shize @Nor'baal

 

[The Triplets]

So far it seemed like they would come across little resistance.

Perhaps Dusty have struck fast enough that the locals had not had the time to react to his daring attack? Either way, the Anzellans where not convinced - there was almost always time for trouble. Things had a way of going wrong.

The three of them remained in their position as their ship swept down to the surface and joined the landers. Once touched down, they would head to their mechs, and disembark, joining up with the bulk of the army, to await orders.

 

[Bo'roth Nazzat]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Weapons to stun. Not that this notion or instruction mattered much when it came to air and space. You couldn’t so easily render an opposing starship out of commission with a tractor beam in the heat of the moment anyway.

“Your command is acknowledged,” Bo’roth promptly answered. Then the Yautkan negotiated his way through the airspace of Serroco. The planet was ripe and ready for the taking. He had five fighters backing his M12-L Kimoglia Heavy Starfighter.

“Concentrate on the turrets,” the squadron leader commanded. The defenses were limited as expected, but the city boasted a few to deal with. “Focus on any surprise fighters,” he ordered to others.

In time, the squadron of five fighters would reduce the defenses to dust. However, the targeting systems of their opponents proved adequate enough, causing those fighters to dip and duck and dodge with evasive maneuvers of their own, delaying the objective.

It would be accomplished no less. Bo’roth would make sure of it as he honed in on his targeted turret and opened fire with punishment.

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

Eliminating defenses: 76/100

@Fantasy Liver @Nor'baal

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

Bo'roth and the A-Wings wreaked havoc upon the stone city, destroying what few ancient turrets the Sterebs had almost all within their first pass. Destroying fighters proved a bit more difficult as they took a while to launch, meaning it was hard to get a read on where they were coming from. But a civillian freighter, a centuries old Republic gunship and a couple of "ugly" fighters escaped the initial carnage and began flying towards Bo'roth, blasting an A-Wing out of the sky as they did so.


Dusty, seeing the city's ships were preoccupied and with no turrets to hamper them ordered a charge. In formation, his men descended on the city in a blindingly successful way.

Siege ladders, jetpacks and mechanized battering rams cut through the first wave of defenses like a hot knife cuts through butter. The feeble city militia, out of shape with secondhand weapons from wars long gone by were no match for the numbers or training of the Ploo army. As Dusty instructed, all Ploo forces had their blasters set to stun as they made their way into the city. The Glymphid watched with a proud tear in his eye as his Glymphids and Fluggrian, formerly bitter rivals, used their Rancor Squadron training to work together as a true team.

As for the Anzellan triplets, they'd soon spot a piece of Stereb resistance that was giving the Ploo army a bit of trouble in securing a watchtower on the city perimeter. An old grapple droideka was standing at the top of the tower and throwing any Ploo invader off with mechanical precision. This left the Sterebs sharpshooters on the tower free and able to rain fire down on Dusty's forces below. They'd all have to be dealt with.

Barring that, the battle was going very well, although they'd need to find the governor of the city to truly force a surrender...

@Die Shize @Nor'baal


OOC Rolls

Serroco's defenses: 17/100
Dusty's initial charge: 95/100

 

[Bo'roth Nazzat]

Spoiler: Music OOC

In the midst of fighting against this planet’s resistance, it was clear to the Yautkan that their defenses amounted to a mountain of little and less. Yet he respected their strength and courage. The war is strong with this one.

A meager fighter came his own ship’s way before Bo’roth blasted it out of the sky. So long. The hunt was on. One of his allies was taken out, an A-Wing, and hardly a companion anyhow. Death and destruction were the name of the game. Devastation as plain as day.

One opposing fighter left, along with a freighter and a gunship. “Target the gunship,” Bo’roth commanded after the turrets had been eliminated.

Communication drifted into his cockpit about a tower that was troubling the ground assault. The hunter would have to assist with that but not right now. -PHWOM!- His cannon blasted the other “ugly” fighter.

That rendered two defeated. That left the freighter and the gunship. As the remaining A-Wings harried and distracted the latter, Bo’roth decided to send a message.

“DEATH. DEATH AND VICTORY.” Bo’roth said as he dropped a bomb on that freighter atop its structure.

A torpedo found purchase in a crevice of the skeleton, creating a cacophony of an explosion, and in the wake of decimation came Blight, bright as firelight.

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

Destroying the airborne enemy: 89/100

@Fantasy Liver @Nor'baal

 

[The Triplets]

A grapple droi? What a prize! The triplets began toward it with glee, their droid 'frames' moving wth haste ahead of the assembled party, to get them underneath the droidekas vantage point, and that of his sniper compatriots.

They had a few options, they could blow the side of the wall and bring the droid crashing down - but that way risked damaging their prize.

Or they could apply the magic of teamwork!.

They opted for the latter, and hopped out of their mechs, before proceeding to launch tiny grapples up the side of the tower and rappel up it.

Talent. Poise. Skill.

Once at the top, they relied on their small statures to pass unnotticed beyind the droid, and thereafter climb onto one another shoulders, allowing Shug to hope onto the droids back.

He then produced a small cutter, and began to slice into the backplate of the droid.

To Shugs shock it popped open with ease.

He snipped the nice big red wire, that may as well have been marked 'snip here', and the droid collapsed into a heap.

OOC - 93/100 dice roll, lol.

 

[The Storyteller]

With the droideka taken out of commission by the deft and practiced hands of the Anzellans, a squad of Glymphids was able to finally make it up the tower and stun the Sterebs into submission.

With that, the battle swiftly began falling into place. The gunship, battered by the A-Wings was forced into a crash landing that saw the pilots swiftly captured. Dusty, cackling the whole time marched at the rear of his line, blasting any stragglers with stun blasts from his own blaster until they arrived at the Governor's building. An aged Sterebs dressed in brighter colored robes than the rest of his brethren came out, knelt and presented a sword to King Daytonus; a universally recognized symbol of surrender.

The day belonged to Dusty, and his loyal soldiers and his deadly hired mercenaries

OOC: End thread attempt. With no opposition and such high rolls, the battle is basically won. Feel free to pick/request loot from the battlefield

@Die Shize @Nor'baal