Popo
I'm Sexy and I Know It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ije9lDHXWpw
Intent: To create a piece of history to commemorate the victories, defeats, sacrifices, and legends made by unsung Republic heroes of the war between the One Sith and the Galactic Republic
Development Thread: I would like to use any and all invasion threads between the Republic and the One Sith where NPC ground/army units were utilized. I'd rather not link every single engagement (simply because I doubt this submission would really need any actual dev thread and because I really don't want to link like... a dozen or more massive threads)
Manufacturer: Unknown
Model: N/A
Affiliation: Heroes of the 27th Infantry Regiment of the Galactic Republic (Attainable by anyone with proper development threads)
Modularity: N/A
Production: Semi-Unique (As with any flag used in combat, a small number of replacements can be found in the event the primary flag is lost or destroyed.)
Material: Fabric, Armorweave
Strengths:
- Unsung Heroes (This Strength Cancels 'Spoils of War') - The sacrifices made by the men and women of the 27th Infantry Regiment of the Galactic Republic are far too many to list in any reliable detail. Needless to say, the flag symbolizes hope in the face of despair and inspires bravery and resolve in the face of death and defeat. Those fighting beneath the folds of this flag for freedom and justice and who understand its significance realize that they fight not for their survival or for glory, but for the countless masses that stand behind them. For those that bear the flag of the 27th Infantry, the shame of cowardice is too much to bear and, instead, most fight on to the last man rather than face the men, women, and children they failed on the battlefield. (OOC Note: This Strength only gives the plot device of courage, not insane recklessness. You're not charging an entire regiment at an AT-AT with a broken chair leg and saying this flag lets you do so. Your troops will probably shoot you. Use with common sense and responsibility.)
- Spoils of War (This Strength Cancels 'Unsung Heroes') - Taken from the battlefield through conflict or stolen from its resting place in a clandestine theft, the flag of the 27th Infantry Regiment is held by those who do not stand for what is good and just in the galaxy. Held aloft over their forces, the flag no longer stands for the sacrifices made, but rather that evil has triumphed despite them. A force that stands against freedom and justice that bears this symbol find themselves emboldened by their gain and the loss to their foes. A force of evil with this flag often find their confidence bolstered as they taunt their enemies with the trophy they possess. (OOC Note: Just like the other one, you're not charging the Jedi Council with a pen knife all by your lonesome just because you're waving this flag around. That's a great way to get killed, flag or no flag. Use common sense and responsibility as this is primarily a plot device.)
Weaknesses:
- Mundane - Outside of what the flag means as a symbol to either side, the flag is only fabric and armorweave with a durasteel pole. The item is not a Force nexus for either side, nor is it special in any way, shape, or form. It is a simple flag and its only meaning is what it means to the people who fight beneath and stand behind it.
Description:
A simple flag embroidered with the symbol of the Republic and the unit it represents, the flag of the 27th Infantry Regiment of the Galactic Republic has seen its share of conflict, war, and sacrifice through the years.
The Founding and the Start of the War
The 27th Infantry first saw action mere months after its founding as One Sith ships invaded the very homeworld of the regiment, the Galactic Republic capital: Coruscant. The men and women of the 27th fought on the streets and alleyways, holding out house by house in the attempt to stall the One Sith advance. Despite their intimate knowledge of the battleground, the One Sith's weight of numbers took their toll. Suffering approximately 60% casualties from the fighting, the 27th was forced to retreat with the rest of the Republic military, leaving their homeworld and capital of Coruscant behind to the One Sith conquerors.Colonel Riloct Colbow, the 27th's commander, vowed to return and retake their homeworld. Realizing the monumental difficulty in such a task, he focused his attention on his remaining soldiers to begin readying them for the coming days and months of war.
The Battle of Carida
Weeks after the fighting on Coruscant, the 27th were once again caught in the fighting. Brought back to fighting strength by replacement recruits and the handful of survivors from decimated regiments, the regiment faced the One Sith once more on Carida.
Tasked with defending elements of the city and the local military academy, Republic soldiers met One Sith troops in the fury of war. The fighting was bitter and, at times, brutal as casualties rose, but time and time again the men and women of the 27th held fast, often holding out as other units broke or fell back from the ferocity of Sith warriors and the troops accompanying them.
Between the fighting on the ground and the stalemate between the two massed fleets within the system, the day was won by the Republic. Unfortunately, the fighting had taken its toll on the regiment. Sustaining nearly 40% casualties and many of their officers dead or severely wounded, including Colonel Colbow who had been wounded during the hardest of the fighting, the regiment was kept on Carida to await replacements and subsequent redeployment.
The Invasion of Empress Teta
Determined to launch a counterattack against the One Sith in a bid to sever their newly taken Capital, Coruscant, from the rest of their empire, the Republic assaulted the ancient planet of Empress Teta some time after the Battle of Carida. Among the troops used to assault the planet and it's capital city was the 27th Infantry, waiting for their turn to strike back at the enemy.
While at first appearing successful, the assault soon turned into a failure. Initial successes on the streets leading to the Iron Citadel soon gave way to stalled, brutal fighting as the Republic assault ground to a halt. Between heavy casualties and the capture of many high-ranking Jedi and Republic heroes, the assault soon changed to a fighting retreat. One of the last units to leave, the 27th held the vanguard with a few other units. With their comrades in the relative safety of leaving shuttles, the remaining republic soldiers retreated as well. The attack on Empress Teta was deemed a failure, but the fighting spirit of the 27th was undiminished despite the defeat they faced.
The First Battle of Alderaan
On Alderaan, the 27th faced the Vong warmachine for the first time. The 27th and a large portion of the Republic's military had been shifted to Alderaan at the last minute and tasked with the planet's defense against the Sith invasion. With little time to dig in and construct proper defenses, the plans were altered to those of an immediate counterattack. Among those units at the forefront of the fighting stood the 27th Infantry led by Colonel Colbow.
The fighting was hellish and devastating as vong warbeasts attacked the Republic army. Physically unable to hold against the giant siege creatures the faced, the regiment was forced into a fighting retreat where they grudgingly gave more and more ground to the enemy. Unable to advance, soldiers attempted to dig in where they could among craters and rips in the ground itself. Ill-equipped to deal with such an enemy and with the destruction of key objectives on the planet, the Republic was forced to eventually withdraw from the world.
Among the most heavily mauled, the 27th was nearly destroyed completely during the fighting. The few survivors of the battle were eventually evacuated from the planet. Initially deemed combat ineffective, the regiment was almost disbanded if not for the appeals of Colonel Colbow. The regiment was sent once more to Carida to rest, refit, and reorganize, during which time veterans of the unit were brought into the academy to help train and impart their skills to new generations of Republic soldiers.
The Second Battle of Alderaan
Barely combat effective and not entirely resupplied, the 27th regiment as a whole did not fight during the second battle of Alderaan. However, elements of the regiment were present during the battle where they functioned as a mobile reserve. Time and again the soldiers of the 27th were thrown into firefight after firefight as Jedi and Sith fought and dueled all around. Though their casualties were relatively light compared to many other units in the midst of the fighting, the battle was lost when many Jedi and Republic leaders were killed, captured, or routed from the field.
The few soldiers of the 27th Infantry that had participated in the fighting were pulled from Alderaan with the rest of the Republic's military forces as the fight drew to a close. They were reunited with the rest of the regiment on Carida and resumed their duties at the military academy there.
Manaan, Netherworld, and Beyond
War never changes and for the men and women of the 27th Infantry, war never ends, either. The regiment fought in nearly every major battle between the Galactic Republic and the One Sith. Almost always at the front lines where the fighting was the hottest, the 27th kept their honor intact and never forgot their mission: to bring freedom and justice back to the galaxy in the face of the One Sith who would end such a dream.
Occasionally the regiment would face heavy casualties only to be rebuilt and resupplied before facing the fires of war once again. Towards the end, only a handful of men and women remained who even remembered their homeworld: Coruscant.
Despite this they kept the soul of their home alive. Each new member of the regiment swore an oath to defeat the Sith, to fight against Tyranny and those who would oppress it, and to liberate their home and the capital of the Republic. Where the regiment went, the flag marked their presence. From Coruscant to Togoria the 27th fought with bravery and distinction, often outnumbered and outgunned, but never outfought even when their commander, Colonel Colbow, finally fell to the enemy at the invasion of Togoria, the last battle the regiment participated in.
Disbandment and Retirement
Though they never retook Coruscant, the 27th's fight came to an end. The Galactic Republic, beset by enemies without and corruption and dissent within, weakened to the point of collapse. Almost at the same time, their eternal foe, the One Sith, fell apart as well. The fires of war had burned the two hollow, rendering both merely husks of their former selves.
For the 27th Infantry Regiment, the end of the Republic meant the end of their service, but not the end of what they stood for. The regiment disbanded and the soldiers returned to the lives they never had a chance to live. With no real government to report to, most kept their weapons and armor that they would be ready should war ever come to their homeworld again. As for the most prized possession of the Regiment, the Battle Flag that had been carried aloft in each engagement the 27th had participated in was given to the widow of the late Colonel Colbow. She, in turn, placed the banner in the care of the Carida Military Academy where the regiment had spent many months, even years, preparing further generations of Republic soldiers and upholding the standard they held themselves to for so many years and over so many battles.
For those who carry the flag into battle, they will find that it will lend it's symbolism to their cause... or against the cause of their enemies.
