The Drop: Rebellion On Planet Dorai

The Drop
Easy Quest
Requirements: PTO Insignia
Reward: 1,000 Zeni and +10 Villain Polints

You've impressed the recruiter and have survived basic training. It's time to put your skills to the test. You are put in Attack Pods and launched to a nearby desert planet and forced to track down some renegades. They beg for mercy, but show them that the no one defies King Cold and gets away with it. Death to all who oppose the PTO!
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Paixiao faced a long wait while General Kantz ran the rest of the recruits through the testing process, but he was nothing if not patient. He took the time to meditate, focusing his inner ki to keep his mind sharp for whatever the general had planned for him. It was several hours before the door to the office finally opened and the general strode in, causing the Namekian to open his eyes. They had an unusually serene glow, as though he'd grasped at some mental secret that was beyond the general's understanding. General Kantz didn't even notice the new expression as he moved around his large desk and plopped down casually into his chair

"That was a damn fine performance you put on in there. No fear and no mercy. Just how we like 'em. I've got to ask you something, though." He tapped his scouter before closing his hands together and leaning forward, a curious expression on his face. "How did you manage to hide your power level? You were reading at civilian levels, then all of a sudden..."

The Namekian didn't particularly care to discuss it, but he was also aware that he needed the PTO's resources. He would have to play ball and explain to the simpleton the superiority of his training. "Your men walk around broadcasting their strength for all to detect. Their bragging is like a beacon. It is foolish. I prefer to hide my power. It's much more difficult to know something is a threat if it doesn't seem like one." The general thought it over for a moment, pressing a button on his scouter again. It was the same read out as before. Civilian power level, not a threat. "Incredible." He half whispered it as he leaned in a bit closer, placing his hands palm down on the desk while changing the subject. [color=red["Now, I mentioned I had something special for you earlier. We have a situation on one of our outlier planets. Seems like some of the populace has decided they'd be better off without us. The rebel movement isn't large, but we can't let it pick up steam. Now, the native people are a bunch of merchant and artist types and they aren't very brave. I'm sending you as part of a small team. Go in there and kill them and we shouldn't have any more problems."[/color]

General Kantz escorted the newest member of the PTO out of the recruitment station and into the nearby building which served as both barracks and a base of operations for missions such as this one. After a brief tour of the facility he was introduced to the unit he would be joining. There were four of them. One was short and lithe, with features resembling an amphibian and a vivid blue skin tone marked with intricate black patterns. Its bulbous eyes sat on the side of its head and could move 360 degrees, making it incredibly difficult to sneak up on. The second member was much taller than the rest, seeming especially so standing next to his diminutive companion. He had a dark red chitin covering his body, his two small eyes completely jet black. The most striking feature, however, was his ant-like mandible. The other two members were Changelings, and judging from the insignia on his armor the smaller of the two was the team leader. "There is no time for introductions. Everybody get into your pods. You will be fully briefed on the way." The Changeling in charge had a somewhat higher pitched voice and Paxiao could not tell if it was a man or a woman. He supposed it didn't matter too much. There were far more important things to concentrate on.

The group loaded themselves into their attack pods and set course for planet Dorai. Paixiao learned what he could from the briefing as the pods sailed through space. Dorai was a tiny planet with a harsh desert landscape. The people were fairly nomadic, preferring to trade the exotic spices grown in the barren wastelands of their home planet, or sell their one-of-a-kind art, most notably pottery. Paixiao found himself wondering how a species of pacifists could even pose a threat to an organization like the PTO, but perhaps that was why they were only sending a team of five to deal with the problem. No need to use an entire army to kill a group of rebellious pottery salesmen. The five pods blasted through space at a remarkable speed, arriving on the target planet after only a few days of travel. As soon as they neared the surface they were greeted with a salvo of gunfire as a series of large turrets affixed to a massive fortress of steel shot volleys of pink lasers at the descending space crafts. [color:bf29=dark red]"They were waiting for uths! How interesthting!" The chitin covered creature spoke through the communication device, his words somewhat hard to understand thanks to a distinct hissing lisp. "Nevermind that. Maintain your course. The way their guns are angled they won't be able to fire at us once we land. As soon as we hit the ground jump out and make a rush for the compound. Expect resist..."

The leader's words were cut off as a laser blast tore through the attack pod, causing it to explode in mid air. "Captain!" The amphibious member cried out with concern into the communicator, but received no response. Pieces of flaming metal hurtled toward the ground, scattering across the sand. The body was nowhere to be seen. It had been destroyed by the blast. "What now? Without the captain what can we do?" The other Changeling finally spoke up as the four remaining pods landed. The doors opened and the four PTO elite jumped out, rushing toward the fortress just as the two massive doors swung open. A large tank began to slowly roll out, kicking up dust under its specially designed treads. It was clearly a vehicle made specifically for desert terrain, but Paixiao didn't understand how they got such technology. Everyone, take cover! With no leader to guide the team Paixiao took on the role, relishing any opportunity he got to take command of a situation. Give me supporting fire. Weapons, energy, everything you've got. Throw it all at that tank!

The group didn't like taking orders from this newcomer, but they were scrambled and the situation was out of their hands. Paixiao hated having to do this sort of field work, even if he had just placed himself in command. It was beneath him. He should have had his own soldiers to handle this sort of thing. For a brief moment he let his thoughts wonder to Namek and he felt his anger grow. If they had simply complied with his demands he wouldn't have to do this. Now he was left with no choice. Working as a common soldier to win his way up the ranks and attain power once again was not something he wanted to do, but this time he would be certain to hold onto that power. With his mind sharply focused one again he began to blast at the heavily fortified tank, lobbing spheres of blue energy at it as it rumbled forward. "Fire!" He gave the command and his fellow elites complied, popping out of cover to lob everything they had at the tank.

It seemed to be a wasted effort. The armor on the tank caused the energy to dissipate, leaving only blackened marks as it continued to crawl toward the group. Soon it would be in firing range. The three remaining original members of the team began to panic, arguing about what to do. Paixiao kept his eyes on the tank, the bickering group behind him making him angry. "Enough! " He thrust his arms out and grounded his feet as firmly as he could against the planet's sandy surface. "If you're all really so worthless I'll do it myself!" His eyes closed and he began to concentrate as hard as he could, reaching out with his ki until he could feel the tank. It would be heavy. But the Namekian was strong and knew what he was capable of. Slowly the tank began to hover up off of the ground. Only a few inches at first, then a few feet until he was finally able to lift it high above. The treads moved uselessly as the machine floated in the air, completely under Paixiao's control.

And then, slowly, he began to move his hands together, clasping his fingers tightly as he watched the tank. There was a loud creaking sound, followed closely by metallic popping as the large vehicle began to compress. The PTO elite looked on as the Namekian used his power to crush the tank into a gigantic chunk of cube shaped metal. "Now, get into position around the compound. According to the briefing there are four exits. We'll each cover one." The other three looked at each other as the chitinous one stepped forward. [color:bf29=dark red]"Isth that your plan? There musth be more to it!" Paixiao let out a frustrated grunt while he hurled the tank back into the compound through the doors it had come out of. "I said go! I'm going to bring this building on top of them, and I want you to guard the exits. Kill anyone who tries to escape. If they do not die when their base comes down on them, they will die trying to flee. Leave no one alive. Do you understand me?" The sternness in his voice was enough to cause the others to obey without questioning him again, and they charged the compound all at once before breaking off to do as they were told. "If I have to suffer such foolishness much longer I...no. I must deal with it for the time being."

Once they were in position Paixiao began his role, steadily forcing the roof of the building to bow inward. The metallic groaning was nearly deafening as the roof began caving in, crushing the gigantic canons in the process. With the wreckage of the tank blocking the large entrance everyone inside would be forced to flee through one of the other doors. He could already hear screams and the sound of wrist mounted laser fire, all of which were cut off when the building finally gave in. The harsh creaking of the entire fortress collapsing in on itself brought a grim smile to his face, and after the sound of the building's destruction there were only a few screams and shots before the desert was silent. It was then that Paixiao got on his communicator. "Leave the bodies where they fell so the rest of their people can see. We won't be having any more problems with this planet."