Open Invasion Dusty Takes A Ploo

[Dusty Daytonus]

"My friends, it is with a sad heart that I come before you. Yesterday, a Fluggrian assassin was found in the Governor's Mansion, prepared to kill me. Were it not due to the diligence of my Honor Guard and my own prodigious skill at battle, he surely would have succeeded in taking your beloved governor from you." Dusty addressed the assembled people of his home planet before him in the town square of the capital. Almost every word he said was a lie. He was certainly not sad - in fact this might very well be one of the happiest days of his life. And the Fluggrian assassin? Well, there had been a Fluggrian placed on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion but it was the corpse of a prisoner who had recently died. Of course, with the long history of war and hatred between Ploo II and Ploo IV, many Glymphids didn't need a reason to attack their Fluggrian neighbors but Dusty hoped the planted cadaver would be enough to sway those who did.

"We cannot let this go unanswered, my friends. And we won't! For too long, the Fluggrians have pushed us around. No longer! Today, we strike back and we show them and the galaxy what Ploo II is made of. And when I say "we", I mean "we!" I'm not some Core World governor, content to sit on his ass and let others do the fighting for him! No sir, I'm taking our brave army and my personal Honor Guard and I'm taking the fight to Ploo IV! And any patriot who wants to join is welcome!" Dusty said, his voice rising in a crescendo with animated hand gestures. He was decked out in the super expensive white cape that had been given to him as a gift and along with his matching white officer's uniform, he cut quite the figure as he marched away from the podium towards the A-Wing that had been strategically placed there. As Dusty left, his general gave the instructions on where citizens could go if they wanted to join the upcoming invasion.

As Dusty turned on the A-Wing and joined the fleet in the space above Ploo II, he mentally ran through a checklist of all the preparations he'd made. Ploo II's planetary defense force, strengthened through centuries of warfare was ready and motivated, if a bit underequipped, although the large complement of AT-RT walkers that the Cartel had provided would be a huge boon for navigating the city streets of Ploo IV. Dusty cursed the fact that the one meager starfighter squadron the planet had was made up of the outdated RZ-1 A-Wing models and not the newer, sleeker RZ-2. Ah well, he had to make do with what he had and it wasn't like the Fluggs were doing much better techwise. And although, the Glymphid would have much preferred to have had the Cartel's war barge at his side, Nor'baal, the great greedy prick, had made his thoughts clear on that matter. So he'd donated his own Luxury-3000 space yacht and bulk freighter to the cause, bolstering the troop transport ships and bombers as best he could.

In terms of manpower, Dusty felt more confident. His soldiers and his Honor Guard would prove more than a match for the Fluggrians and their ranks had been bolstered with conscripted prisoners who were fighting in exchange for freedom and citizen patriots who were fighting because they wanted to kill Fluggrians. But the biggest asset of all, Dusty thought, was his own superior piloting ability.

And surprise. They had the element of surprise.

As Dusty and the Glymphid fleet plugged the hyperspace coordinates of Ploo IV and blasted off towards war and glory, the governor hoped it'd all be enough. Or, at the very least, hoped it'd be a great fight.

@Eccles

 

[The Storyteller]

PLOO IV

Meanwhile on the largest floating city on the planet of Ploo IV.

"He said what!?" the Chief Administrator Morwu Klenn almost choked on his marshland frog delicacy as he heard the news of Dusty's speech back on Ploo II. "That scheming lying and conniving son of a Bantha-kriffer!" he smashed the wooden table so hard that it almost cracked from the sheer power of the angry Fluggrian. Morwu Klenn was -as Chief Administrator- the ruler of Ploo IV as he was the most adept at managing all the different crimelords of the different floating cities. He hadn't thought about killing Dusty for fifteen days! FIFTEEN DAYS! and here he was getting accused of sending an assassin after the worthless piece of Bantha trash!?

Ploo IV didn't make a deal with the cartel for weapons and vehicles of war. They didn't need it. Each Crimelord had a dozen of hardened Fruggrian scoundrels and Morwu himself even had a rodian enforcer. Preef Callo! Well, not really him, per sé. He did play him once in a local play and as Laaf was the only rodian in town he had naturally been offered the role of standing there and drawing his fake blaster on cue. It had been painful to watch how slow everyone else had to draw their own fake blaster to make it seem like the rodian was actually faster but... not the point!

And when you speak of the rodian; "Chief Administrator Morwu, sir-" a cross-eyes rodian entered the room pointing his blaster at the ceiling, "There's a fleet up above! Ploo is attacking!"

The marshland frog delicacy dropped from Morwu's mouth and back onto his plate as he gasped and stared at the rodian. "What Ploo? Plooroid? Plooroid III, it can't be Ploo because that's the name of the system-" sudden realizing came across Morwu's face as his hands tightened to fists, "KARKING DUSTY! Curse you and Ploo II!"

Shortly after a dozen richly-decorated SH-3 Gun Tugs lifted off from the main city intent on challenging the starfighter squadron from Ploo II in orbit. Messages were send to the other cities and the various crimelords to arm the citizenry and prepare to humiliate those blasted Glymphids.

@Fantasy Liver

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

Dusty almost died laughing when he saw that Ploo IV's first wave of defense were...spacetugs. And here he was worried that his squadron of A-Wings wouldn't be enough. Trying to refrain from laughing, he pulled down on his transmitter and commed the other pilots.

"This is your governor speaking. Let's wipe those spacetugs out - we can outrun em and outmaneuver them. No excuses. Transports, freighters and yachts, let's focus your cannons on them so we can clear a way down to the surface." Dusty ordered, fighting the greater speed and maneuvering capabilities of the A-Wings, bolstered by supporting fire from the other ships, would make quick work of the tugs. Leading the way, the Glymphid governor gunned it for the approaching fighters, blasting and spinning away, doing his best to create confusion in their ranks and open them up for attack. Two A-Wings peeled off to act as his wingmen while the remaining A-Wings attacked the tug formation at different angles.

@Eccles

 

[Hauron Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Mandalorian space was a nebulous term these day but the star charts still showed the Mandalorian Road as a viable hyperspace route through portions of the galaxy. Hauron Solus wanted to make this area of space and was on a patrol with the entirety of Rancor Squadron. Thus, the Mandalorian mercenary fleet was swiftly traveling through hyperspace with capable class one and two hyperdrives.

On the edge of the system, any group with decent enough scanners would detect the fleet exiting hyperspace. The flagship was the Dralaalar and escorted by a trio of Raider class corvettes appropriately named Kyramud, Ramikad, & Ramorir. Already a dozen small craft with their own hyperdrives were moving in formation around the capital ships that appeared only like small glinting dust particulates at a distance. At closer inspection scanners would reveal they were kom'rk class multi-role transports. More starships and Mandalorians were contained inside each of the vessels respectively.

Rancor Squadron had arrived in the Ploo system and surveyed the area before going further. Long range scanners would reveal potential ambushes, ship movements and details were just the crest of the sand dune. "Group Leader." One of the deck officers on the bridge of the Berex class carrier reported to Hauron. "There seems to be an military engagement occurring over Ploo IV. It looks like they're attempting a full scale invasion." This grabbed the Mikkian's attention and turned his helmeted visor towards the holographic display table.

"What?" He muttered to himself in exclamation and leaned onto the table with both hands. He had expected to possibly ease tensions between the Fluggarians and the Glymphids or at least sell their services to one side. Hopefully Rancor Squadron's presence would have kept the peace but none of that mattered now. <"Keep scanning their numbers and composition. Make a non-hostile approach towards Ploo IV and connect my chair to a local open channel."> The deck officers nodded their armored heads and went about executing the Rally Master's orders. He was not sure what was going on but he was not going to site idly.

The fleet would course correct and gradually approach Ploo IV at a distance. Hauron took his seat at the Captain's chair and let his visage be transmitted to those in the area. "Greetings citizens of the Ploo system. My name is Hauron Solus, Rally Master and Group Leader of Rancor Squadron. We are Mandalorian Mercenaries and have noticed you're having a bit of a conflict. Please let me know if you are interested in our services. I understand time is a factor but know that we are offering a discount on our services."


@Eccles @Fantasy Liver

Spoiler: OOC

Rancor Squadron is available for hire by either side. Otherwise they'll probably sit back and watch.

 

[The Storyteller]

The dozen richly-decorated SH-3 Gun Tugs tried to bait Dusty's squadron closer to the planet's surface where a single defense cannon was getting charged. It needed to charge its batteries because it had never actually fired at a ship before. The Fruggians had done a few test shots before and on Boonta Eve it was a nice addition to the fireworks when the cannon provided a few shots to color the heavens a bright red. It was the only one on the planet and it being there had made the town the planet's capital as well. Another floating town on roughly three hours per underwater train had a podracing arena with a course going over the ocean and through the local marshes. That had been the previous capital and there was still some resentment over the Chief-Administrator change of residence once the cannon had been bought from one of those Rimwards Arms Auctions.

Regardless of Ploo IV's history, for we better not attempt to cover the intricacies of interclan wars when it comes to the gangs and their crimelords. Fruggians are, not by species but because of their cultural heritage very comfortable gathering in what others outside the Ploo System would regard as 'criminal organizations'. What makes them uniquely qualified to- oh no, oh boy, I wasn't going to write about the fascinating cultural richness of Ploo IV and yet here I-

"GET OFF THE COMMS!" Chief-Adminsitrator Morwu Klenn shouted at the aging Quermian historian that usually presented his own locally televisied morning show at this time. It wasn't morning, by the way, but due to the fascinating sleep cycles of the Fruggians- "CUT HIM OFF, CUT HIM OFF"

Finally, the Chief-Adminstrator managed to mute all other channels on Ploo IV just in time to hear an incoming transmission from a GIGANTIC spaceship coming over his line. "This is Chief-Administrator Morwu Klenn of Ploo IV, we are under abject threat by an invasion from Ploo II! Help us and you can have their planet as reward!"

Meanwhile two of the richly decorated SH-3 gun tugs came crashing down from the sky and hit the ocean swells around the floating city and the cannon's batteries were finally charged to their maximum. It would focus on Dusty's yacht if the gunner would be able to see it, but otherwise try to take potshots at the A-wings that were in pursuit of the gun tugs.

@Fantasy Liver @Darasuum

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"Ha! You guys are welcome to our planet, provided a certain Hutt clan by the name of Desiljic doesn't mind! But if you guys stay out of this fight, I'll give you my yacht. Hell, you can help yourself to some spoils if you give us a hand." Dusty commed to the Mandalorian mercenaries, more than content to throw Nor'baal's clan name around. No matter how many warships the Rancors had, Dusty trusted they'd think twice before allying themselves with the Fluggrians if their reward for doing so meant they'd be encroaching on Cartel interests. Plus, he could always appropriate Morwu Klenn's yacht.

With the gun tugs either falling from the skies or otherwise pursued by the A-Wings, the troop transports (including Dusty's own yacht and freighter) and the drop ships carrying AT-RT walkers weren't being harassed by starfighters. As such, they were free to move beyond the initial line towards the planets surface.

"Walkers and troop carriers, let's all land on the biggest city there. I know that Morwu Klenn will be holed up there crying!" Dusty commed to his ships, gambling that the Chief Administrator, once seized, would be more than happy to call his remaining troops off in exchange for being allowed to live. Dusty himself peeled off from the remaining A-Wings along with his wingmen, trusting the speedier Glymphid ships would be able to mop up the remaining tugs.

@Eccles @Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron listened to the incoming responses from the two leaders Governor Dusty Daytonus and Chief-Adminsitrator Morwu Klenn. Neither offer seemed to be all that enticing for the Solus Rally Master. The Mandalorian took a deep breath and sighed before placing his elbow on one of the arms, allowing him to rest his helmeted chin on his balled up fist.

All that was being given were things any brigand could take for themselves if Hauron ordered it. But Rancor Squadron was not a pirate band for hire or mindless soldiers of fortune. They had a certain image to create and maintain if they wanted to be considered a legitimate and upstanding Paramilitary force. Rancor Squadron had standards when it came to accepting work and that was just as much of an important part of their reputation as their ability in combat.

The Mikkian had no interest in taking over a planet so the Chief-Administrator's offer to allow the Mandalorians to conquer their foe's home world was unappealing to say the least. He did not have the authority to offer Ploo II, especially considering the Fluggarian's limited fighting capability.

Hauron was trying to also look at this from a relatable perspective. If someone was flying through Mandalorian space during one of his people's scuffles, he might not want outside intervention. Solus were known for their tight knit communities and being historically isolationist so perhaps he could relate to any feeling of resentment the local populace might have. A third party could complicate things and were not necessarily be welcome. It might be best for Rancor Squadron to keep moving or simply wait until the battle was decided unless something of greater value or interest was brought up. Given time, one of the leaders might be willing to increase what they were willing to put up as payment.

There was more that made the badger pause. The Glymphid Governor mentioned a particular Hutt name, the one that was responsible for his father's previous imprisonment, Desiljic The Mandalorian's gloved hand tightened further into a fist causing the hidden surface skin to become a lighter hue of blue. The syndicate's involvement would complicate things considerably. The Solus Rally Master needed time to think about what the consequences of his choices here would be. All the while his bridge crew was keeping him up to date with relevant data that they could gather using the numerous long range ship scanners.


@Eccles @Fantasy Liver

Spoiler: OOC

Rancor Squadron is not taking any action this round. Hauron is thinking while letting the two leaders continue to fight.

 

[The Storyteller]

As Dusty had taken no countermeasures to protect himself from the defensive cannon, it fired at his yacht the moment it had come in range. Defensive maneuvers would be necessary if the Glyphid wanted to avoid losing his life trying to get his feet on the ground of Ploo IV's floating capital.

Meanwhile, now that they were closer to the surface, the SH-3 Gun Tugs seemed to alter their tactics and began flying in between the ships delivering personnel and the walkers to the surface. Firing on them became much more tricky as they used the transport more or less as shields, while they in their turn could fire at almost anything in sight. If Dusty didn't change his orders and kept sending all transport in a direct line to the floating city, then he was bound to lose a couple of them along the way.

Spoiler: Numbers

10 x SH-3 Gun Tugs
1 x Defensive (anti-ship) Cannon
Unknown ground troops

@Fantasy Liver @Darasuum

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"Oh kriff...KYLE EVASIVE ACTIONS!" Dusty commed over to his loyal yacht pilot as he finally saw that the banthaslime Morwu Klenn had evidently purchased himself a shiny new defensive toy. Well, judging from how old the cannon was, "shiny" was probably a generous term to describe its exterior but the laser blast it sent out was certainly shiny enough to warrant attention. Kyle yanked the yacht off course as fast as he could, hoping to dodge the upcoming blast or, at the very least, angle the ship so it hit something a bit less devastating than the bridge. And that was hardly the only trouble the Glymphid force was facing -

"I'm on the cannon! Transports spread out a bit and give the A-Wings some room. Flight pattern NEXU!" Dusty ordered, racing in his zippy A-Wing along with his two wing men. At the command, the troop and walker transports indeed flew in a different pattern. Some went up, some went down, some went left and some went right but they all used the 3-dimensional aspect of space combat to their advantages.

As such, none of the transports were now in the same quadrant and they had created more space between each other, giving the speedier A-Wings much more room to fly through and a clearer line of sight to the space tugs. And of course, the transports themselves were firing upon the space tugs too. And they were still advancing towards the capital city, the defending cannon of which was currently being attacked by Dusty and his wingmen.

"Aim for the barrel!" Dusty ordered, figuring that concentrated fire on the thinner barrel of the cannon would cripple it quicklky. Flying in at a diagonal angle so the cannon wasn't pointed straight at him, Dusty let four concussion missiles fly from his A-Wing at the barrel, trusting his wingmen to do the same.

@Eccles

 

[The Storyteller]

The shot from the cannon, which would have obliterated Dusty's yacht, missed its mark and pierced through the clouds in the upper atmosphere, dissipating them.

As the transports heading towards the city dispersed, fired upon the SH-3 Gun Tugs and the A-wings returned to the SH-3's tails for a clear shot.. the entire formation turned into chaos. One transport, carrying a walker, was hit by blasterfire from the gun tugs, turned into a ball of fire and blackened smoke and further accellerated towards the floating city. Two of the gun tugs were hit as well, but one of them veered off and directly into a troop transport, dragging it with it as it, too, starting headed into an uncontrolled descent towards the city. By some miracle the untrained gunners of the transports managed to miss the A-wings that suddenly started flying in between them to focus on the SH-3 gun tugs.

Meanwhile the cannon, realizing the danger as three of the A-wings started flying towards its, redirected its barrel towards the middle ship, which coincidently was Dusty's own vessel until all three let loose a total of twelve concussion missiles. The crew that manned the cannon still fired, but anxiously jerked at the controls as they hurried towards the exit. The cannon fired and while it didn't hit Dusty, the A-wing to his left turned into a ball of fire before debris scattered against Dusty's ship, finding its way into the engine.

A moment later and the barrel was blown to bits, disabling the cannon permanently.

"He did WHAT!?" Chief-administrator Morwu Klenn gasped, "That cannon protected us from PIRATES!" The Fruggian's yellow eyes went from watching the air-battle on his screen to the Mandalorian mercenaries looking on from a distance. He didn't care so much that three ships and the debris of two more were now crashing into his city, destroying buildings and killing Fruggians (and Quermians) and destablizing the floating devices that kept the city on the surface. What he cared about most was that it was Glymphids doing it. That is was DUSTY doing it.

"You Mandalorians!" he opened the channel, "You want credits? I'll give you credits! Just kill that kriffer Dusty!"

Spoiler: Numbers

Ploo II losses
1 x walker transport
1 x personnel transport
1 x A-wing
Dusty's A-wing is damaged.

Ploo IV remaining troops
8 x SH-3 Gun Tugs
Unknown ground troops

@Fantasy Liver @Darasuum

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

The falling ships were close enough to the capital to hit buildings, meaning most of the Ploo II convoy had arrived at the city. Because the troop transports were civilian models - either donated by patriotic citizens or from Dusty's personal stock - they, of course, came in a range of sizes. The smaller ones were able to land on top of buildings or on the streets themselves while the larger ships had to jettison escape pods to the city surface, in order to get their troops on the ground.

As for the walker transports, those that were able to punch through the defenses were starting to unload their two-legged payload and pilots before taking to the skies again to assist in mopping up the remaining tugs. The A-Wings

The ground battle had begun and, at the moment, it was proving to be extremely chaotic as the Glymphid forces hadn't yet massed in one area and the Fluggrians, not expecting an attack and reacting to unpredictable landing patterns were similarly dispersed and confused. There was fighting in a city park, in a fruit market, in alleyways, and even in a candy store. The fighting was fierce and vicious as the Fluggrian and Glymphid forces clashed, ocassionally hampered by more falling vehicles.

"Troops, start massing towards the city center - no doubt that's where Morwu is. We nab him and we win!" Dusty commed, even as his A-Wing was now billowing smoke from its engine. Damn it all! Dusty forced a rough landing, near a speeder parking lot and drew his blaster pistol. He'd have to fight on the ground now apparently. To give him a clear path forward, his surviving A-Wing wingman fired some blasts on the streets around Dusty before peeling off and rejoining the fight against the remaining tugs.

@Eccles

 

[Hauron Solus]

Rancor Squadron was slowly continuing its passage through the system at low speed. Less than ten megalights to keep the ships in forward momentum and ready to accelerate to greater velocity if needed. The overlapping fields of view from the array of long range and powerful scanners would provide insight to the traffic of the system and was relayed to the Dralaalar.

Even from this distance, the zoomed in displays and holographic projections painted a three dimensional picture of the battle between the two neighboring worlds. A-Wings were some of the best available interceptors in the galaxy, even the older models. There was certainly a chance that the Glyphid pilots would be capable of killing a Mandalorian pilot at the controls of a fang fighter which is why Hauron was not eager to risk his people's lives for someone else's squabble. The asking price for taking on a dangerous enemy was higher than dealing with a low threat target.

The communications officer looked spoke in Mando'a to Hauron. <"Sir we're being hailed by the Fluggrians."> A moment later and the visage of Morwu Klenn came into view. Hauron's black and red armored figure would be returned to the the Chief Administrator's projector. However the Group Leader of Rancor Squadron seemed far more at ease than the tense leader of Ploo IV. His request earned him a cocked helmet and look from the Mandalorian.

"We don't work for cheap even with a discount." He warned the man who seemed desperate for help. The Solus Rally Master wondered if any of this was even being taken in by the man or if it was just going out the other ear. "Rancor Squadron is large so we'll also need a private spaceport once this is all over and assurances we will be treated amicably. We will be taking all the spoils from Ploo II as well, per your earlier offer." He was open to further bargaining. However the Fluggrian leader had limited time to accept Hauron's offer and had already chosen to ignore the initial preposition, much to the detriment of his own planet. In fact, it was in the Chief Administrator's best interest to grant the Group Leader's request. With a Rancor Squadron starship base along the Mandalorian Road, the Fluggrian's interests and world would be more secure. "Think of it as an investment." He added and waited for Morwu Klenn's answer.

@Eccles

Spoiler: OOC

Hauron is bargaining with Morwu Klenn.

 

[The Storyteller]

Chief-Administrator Morwu Klenn was a proud Fluggrian and there werent many reasons he would bow down to a Mandalorian raiding party, but sticking it to Ploo II and the Glymphids was one of those reasons. So, he nodded his head. "Fine, FINE!" Morwu replied, accepting the terms of the deal the Mandalorians offered him. He'd built them a landing strips in the swamps somewhere where they could land in the Plooan summers.

Meanwhile transports tried to land both personnel and the walkers, but while it was thought to be very simply, the Glymphids met more resistance then they would perhaps have expected. Quickly the roofs they landed on had their exits blocked by rifle-wielding Fluggrians while the streets were blockaded by speeders with blaster and rifle wielding locals. Only the walkers met little resistance as the Fluggrians did not have any kind of weapon to combat them.

It seemed like the Fluggrans were preparing for a battle of attrition, evading the walkers the best they could while they waited for the reinforcements that the Chief-administrator promised them.

Spoiler: Numbers

8 x SH-3 Gun Tugs
Unknown ground troops
Rancor Squadron

@Fantasy Liver @Darasuum

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

Dusty was bombarded by a bunch of different information at once as his commlink and wristpad sprang to life with updates, battle information, questions, and Morwu Klenn being a little bitch. Fortunately, he had grown up swoop racing and Podracing - processing lots of ongoing information in the heat of danger was something that came natural to Dusty.

Quickly, he ordered half the walkers to advance upon the capital building itself, telling them to level it to rubble. While he'd prefer his rival Morwu Klenn captured alive to witness his victory, he'd settle for a dead Chief Administrator too. The fact that the Fluggrians were actively avoiding the walkers meant that they should have a pretty clear path forward. To assist their goal, Dusty also ordered the empty walker transports still in the sky to switch targets to the capital building.

The remaining tugs would be forced to make a decision - focus on pursuing empty walker transports and leave themselves open to attack by the A-Wings and civillian transports or continue fighting the A-Wings and troop transports and leave the capital building open to getting attacked by the laser cannons of the walker transports.

The other half of the walker force, he ordered to advance upon a blockaded street where the fighting was thickest. The Fluggrians had blockaded it with riflemen and speeders, pinning the Glymphid soldiers down for now. That street blockade might be enough to contain regular Glymphid soldiers but Dusty figured they'd hold up against walkers about as well as a sheet of paper would hold up against a river.

"Woohoo! Get em boys!" one of the Glymphid soldiers pinned down on the street whooped and hollered as he saw an AT-RT round the corner and start blasting. Reinvigorated, he started prepping his men for a charge forward, as soon as the walkers had cleared the way.

"You guys want to go against the Cartel, be my guest. Morwu, my line's open whenever you want to surrender." Dusty commed one last time to Rancor Squadron and Morwu Klenn simultaneously, grinning at the thought of the Chief Administrator cowering with each blast that rocked his capital building.

The best thing about landing in a speeder lot during a battle was the fact that, by its very nature, it provided ample room for a rough landing. The second best thing about landing in a speeder lot was the fact that there were plenty of speeders around to steal. Well-practiced from his joyriding days, Dusty hotwired a 9000Z1 landspeeder, figuring the spherical craft's manueverability and durability would be well-suited to getting him through the battlefield. Once he was in, he'd start zooming towards the street that the walkers were trying to break the blockade at.


@Eccles @Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron could not help but smile at hearing the Chief-Administrator accept his terms, albeit with a reluctant tone. "Don't die." He said and unceremoniously terminated the connection to just Morwu. It was a sentiment he thought even a Hutt could respect since the badger would need him to honor his end of the deal. It was Nor'baal who had offered the forces at Kessel to stand down by offering them a fortune and business was business. Dusty had not offered any reward and the the Mandalorian would have doubted his capability of delivering if he did.

Turning his attention towards his forces, the Solus Rally Master began directing them into formations. The Ramikad and Ramorir would angle towards the capital and be escorted by a flight of fang interceptors as they swiftly accelerated to a rapid pace of one hundred megalights. What appeared to be two raider class corvettes heading to kill Dusty with a flight of four starfighters were just the tip of the iceberg.

Meanwhile the Dralaalar, Kyramud, and all remaining Rancor Squadron forces were sent towards Ploo II. They would accelerate from their previously slow ponderous movement towards a speed of sixty megalights. The Governor of the world would have a choice to make in the next few moments.

The berex class carrier still had a compliment of no less than thirty two fang interceptors which remained parked onboard, for now. Hauron did not want to field more assets than necessary to get the job done. They had few ground based vehicle support and thus their starships, Mandalorian ingenuity, and explosives would hopefully do the trick against the walkers and other armor. The first to be dealt with would be the A-wings. He was not sure which one was Dusty, but if they were all shot down it would not matter.

The Group Leader of Rancor Squadron sent a broadcast towards Ploo IV so that Dusty and all of his forces could hear it. "Governor Dusty Daytonus. This is Group Leader Hauron Solus. Surrender, flee or be eliminated. The choice is yours'." It would be his only warning as the Mandalorian dangers drew near and his window was of opportunity was escaping. But the Mikkian was at least trying to give the man a chance to escape. He was not entirely convinced that this attack on Ploo IV was not warranted but that was besides the point. The Fluggrians were the ones paying.

Once Ploo IV group reached high orbit the two raider corvettes would begin gradually decelerating to eighty megalights. whether the Glymphid pilots choose to stand down, meet them or run, the hangars of the two rapidly arriving capital ships would open. From each raider corvette would come an additional two fang class interceptors which would quickly match the speed of the Mandalorian attack group and then some. Furthermore, one kom'rk multi-role transport would also exit the Ramikad and Ramorir respectively. Housed within the two broadhead shaped transports were compliments of only a dozen Mandalorians each. It would be their job to engage the enemy ground forces and move to protect the Chief-Administrator if the assault continued. But until the skies were clear enough, they would remain in their ships.

@Eccles @Fantasy Liver

Spoiler: OOC

idk how long it would take ships traveling at 100 MGLT to get to the capital city but I figured it'd take a bit.

Dusty Dusters (moving to Ploo IV capital city ,engage Dusty and defend the capital)
2x raider corvettes
8x fang interceptors
2x kom'rk multirole starfighter/transports

Ploo II Electric Boogaloo (moving to Ploo II high orbit menacingly)
1x berex carrier
1x raider corvette
+ the rest of Rancor Squadron

 

[The Storyteller]

The Fluggrians and their battle of attrition laid its fruits. While the SH-3 Gun Tugs further occupied Dusty's Squadron and the transports, dogfighting it into a stalemate, the battle in the streets went about as good as expected. Many Glymphid ground troops were targeted as they exited their transports and then again when they tried to advance to establish their own cover. Their casualties were considerable, especially because Dusty didn't order the Walkers to back them up, but instead send them to the government building, which was, all things considered, just a building.

The street blockade was deserted by the time the walkers arrived and shot it to bits, allowing themselves and dusty in his speeder free access towards the government building. It must be a strange feeling. Everywhere around you there's blasterfire, but near the walkers it always felt like the epicenter of a storm. There wasn't a Fluggrian or Quermian in sight.

Eventually they succesfully managed to blow up the building and the Chief-Administrator gnashed his sharp predator-like teeth as he saw his beloved office go up in a loud BOOM from a distance. He was a few blocks away, just close enough to see the top of one of the walkers rise above a low-rise building. "Damn you, Dusty Daytona-" Morwu spat on the floor before turning around to take the stairs down towards the underwater train. He wasn't stupid, you see. He paid the Mandalorians to deal with this invasion, so he himself would be going to a safe location, namely the old capital with the podracing track. "-and damn the cartel for selling you walkers."

It was a this point that the Mandalorian troop transports and interceptors could be spotted as dots in the sky, at a few thousand feet above the capital city. Dusty had a choice to make. Would he surrender and hope to keep his head, or would he push through in his attempt to kill Chief-Administrator Morwu Klenn.

Spoiler: OOC

You went a bit fast there. I imagine landing walkers, getting the crew inside and firing them up takes a minute. Likewise this post encompasses more time.

8 x SH-3 Gun Tugs
Unknown ground troops
Rancor Squadron

@Fantasy Liver @Darasuum

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"Yeah baby! Woohoo!" Dusty hooted as he saw the government center go up in flames. Not only was it Morwu Klenn's personal pride but, no doubt, Dusty's Fluggrian rival was in there. No deal meant no Mandalorians, which basically meant they won. Casualties or not, nothing on Ploo IV seemed able to stand up against the Cartel walker force.

Dusty was all set to comm over Morwu's death to Rancor Squadron when he himself received a message.

"Uh, Governor, sir. I think I see Chief Administrator Klenn. Looks like he's making a break for it at the Government Center train station." the walker operator that Morwu had seen commed in. An AT-RT provided a fairly open viewing and, so, the fact that the top of the walker could be seen by Morwu meant that the walker pilot could see the decadently dressed Fluggrian too.

"Damn him! Glymph Two, peel off from fighting those tugs and collapse the next train station he's going to!" Dusty immediately ordered, thinking quickly. Enough tugs had been destroyed by the quicker A-Wings that sending one away from the main group wouldn't shake up the space battle odds too much. If Morwu Klenn wanted to make a clean break, he might find that a bit difficult when his destination station had all of its exits collapsed.

"Walker 9 and Walker 10, start making your way to Klenn. Everyone else, start mopping up the rest of the Flugs! I'm heading after Morwu!" Dusty commed to his troops, even as he pushed his landspeeder to the limits in his race to get to the Center train station. It was only a few blocks away and his Podracing skills were being put to the test as he zipped through the city streets. It was actually kind of an enjoyable ride; given he was in a civilian Fluggrian craft, no one was really taking potshots at him.

Honestly, maybe he preferred it this way. A one-on-one personal fight with Morwu was admittedly more satisfying than just watching him blow up from a distance. He just hoped he'd be able to reach Morwu quickly. The landspeeder was zippy and it was only a few blocks. Two walkers outside would prevent Morwu from deviating from the train station and, Dusty imagined, trains would be fairly delayed, given that most of the civilians had probably already started evacuating with them the moment the fighting started. And the A-Wing collapsing the old capital's train station exits would be a nice insurance even if Morwu did manage to hop a train before Dusty got to him.

As soon as Dusty pulled up to the station, he'd get out, pistol drawn and head down the steps to follow Morwu.

@Eccles @Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Ploo II

<“Only a few losses reported from both sides so far, Rancor Leader.”> Four Fluggrian SH- 3 gun tugs specifically had points on the holomap indicating their area of impact after being shot down. There were other marks of crashes on the floating city that either indicated existing fighting or simply the collateral damage the two sides were causing against one another. A pair of Glymphid RZ-1 A-wings had been shot down and marked on the surface and the capital building as well as the planetary cannon were heavily damaged.

The two main troop transports were displayed on the holoprojector table which the Rally Master had already arrived at and studied from behind his helmet. The two ‘largest’ threats were the Luxury yacht and the Bulk Freighter while the A-wings were the primary danger for Rancor Squadron. He did not particularly like the image of his people shooting at civilian vessels even if they were in a paid military engagement. <”It seems the Governor has made his choice.”> He said to himself, seeing as no surrender or sprint for hyperspace was being made.

The holoprojections and reports would keep the Mikkian up to date though he still knew his Commander and Captain of the two corvettes would perform just as admirably as the rest of the Mandalorians piloting above and on the surface of Ploo IV. <“Begin jamming any communications too and from Ploo II. Also make sure the Shadow Gauntlet is ready. I should probably head over there personally once this is all over and I'll take my own ship for that.”> The Group Leader’s personal ship, the Shadow Gauntlet would be ready by the time this was resolved. But for now Hauron remained aboard his flagship for now.

---

Over Ploo IV The Ramikad and Ramorir rapidly approached the battle between Glymphid and Fluggrian forces. Each of the corvettes would uniformly prioritize their weapon systems on the same targets. The two port and starboard bow light turbo laser batteries would begin to aim at the Luxury-3000 star yacht and the IV bulk freighter before firing at them with disciplined control. The gunners knew to be careful and only fire with a clear shot to minimize the loss of innocent lives.

The Raider pair swiveled their light ion cannons and began to support the fang class interceptors which moved to reinforce the defending gun tug squadron. The Mandalorian starfighters each quickly found a target to chase down. The rapid tracking of the corvettes’ light laser cannon turrets would be able to keep up with the fast enemy interceptors and aid in bringing them down. What’s more, each of the corvettes locked on to four A wings respectively and would fire at them simultaneously sending eight tracking rockets after separate targets.

The two corvettes and the kom’rk transport pair kept the same speed and would begin to circle the city if they ran the risk of overshooting the buoyant metropolis. But not before the two kom’rk transports opened up their doors. These multi-role starfighters had medium laser cannons both in front and aft so if any pilots wanted to test their luck getting behind the kom’rk class transports, they were welcome to try. Each starship had kill markings of victories won thus far and after today there would be a few more marks to add.

A total of twenty four Mandalorians equipped with jetpacks, wrist rockets, whistling birds and jetpack missiles dropped from their ships and would fly the rest of the way down under their own power, carefuly to avoid getting hit by a starship or ground forces that might aim skyward. Any Glymphid or Fluggrians that looked up would see the Mandalorian mercenaries moving into positions behind the Glymphid AT-RT walkers and infantry forces.

This maneuver was planned to pinch them with the Fluggrians on the other side wherever they were in the city. The shock troopers would begin targeting the AT-RTs from above before any combat boots touched Ploo rooftops or streets. Their aim was towards the walkers’ unprotected backs and their riders to efficiently eliminate them from their unguarded flanks. But some would have missiles flying towards them, which made direction of impact irrelevant. Each Rancor team was careful to cover one another and harass the Glymphids by shooting one or two and distracting the rest from attacking the locals only for the Fluggrians to likely push back on the opposite weakening front. There would be no unnecessary risks or endangerment of innocent lives.

@Eccles @Fantasy Liver

Spoiler: OOC

Ploo II: jamming, observing, ordering, delegating, leader stuff
1x berex carrier
1x raider corvette
+ the rest of Rancor Squadron

Ploo IV engaging starships, walkers and visible hostile Glymphid forces
2x modified raider corvettes.
8x fang interceptors
2x kom'rk multirole starfighter/transports
24x Mandalorian mercenaries w/ jetpacks, jetpack missiles, whistling birds, wrist rockets

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Within Rancor Squadron's trio of modified Raider-class corvettes, engineering teams were scrambling to contain a rapidly growing problem. The two ships, fielding heavily overclocked engines, had been modified with heed to power network safety requirements. Engines running full tilt with severe overclocking and everything else was just too much for them to handle. Even slowing down afterward wasn't enough to compensate.

Cascade failures began, first in the engines themselves and quickly spreading to connected systems. Readouts fried as main power conduits were overloaded well past their tolerance. Alarms screamed inside all two corvettes. A series of worrying booms and cracks sounded as the Raiders' engines fried, thrusters trailing smoke. Electrical fires started in some affected areas.

The engines were completely dead, leaving only the reactor powering shields and weapons. As a result of the damage, the two Rancor Squad corvettes were rendered without engine power and with engineering fires to put out.

OOC Note: Staff-ruled tech failure. The Weapon Power Redistribution modification explicitly states: "-beyond adding 10 MGLT it is dangerous and beyond adding 20 it is almost always suicide." Running severely overclocked engines at full speed has resulted in catastrophic engine/power failure.

@Darasuum @Fantasy Liver @Eccles

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

He had been told Glymph pie was something he simply had to try, and he had developed a taste for the stuff. Since Dusty had busied himself preparing for his essential mission and departed a few days later, Nor'baal had made himself home in the man's palace'. With his war barge parked outside the court, Nor'baal scoffed away the last pie and glowered around for more.

Alas, the table was now barren.

<Cuee!> he bellowed, banging his fist on the table as he made his demand. An attender nearly fell over himself, bolting for the door to satiate its master's request. Barging past one of the many Gamorrean Guards (for Nor'baal had brought no less than three-hundred guards of the porcine persuasion and more besides with him) that had occupied the palace since Nor'baal had taken up residence, it returned a few moments later, rambling about there being no pie and no ability to call for more pie.

Nor'baal was not pleased.

Not pleased at all.

<Haku woy uba besnewa bu pacinepou mo doth dotkola voshaneke?> Nor'baal demanded answers as his attender stammered something about 'Mandalorians' entering the system.

That damned fool, Dusty! He was meant to be the one doing the invading, not vice versa!

Signalling for his barge to power up and get into the upper atmosphere, Nor'baal watched from the narrow window as the Z-Headhunters from the barge deployed to patrol the nearby airspace. The Hutt needed to think quickly about how to exploit this situation!

With no pie to think of, Nor'baal refocused his considerable mental aptitude on scheming - something he did best and ordered the arriving Mandalorian ship to be hailed with nothing more than his personal chain code and the sigil of the Desilijic Clan, signifying that not only was the planet a Cartel one but also that Nor'baal himself, the de facto controlled of Ploo IIs considerable underworld, was planetside.