Orks on Imperial Center

[sonofccn]

A new year and a new goofball thread by yours truly.

Namely a spiritual successor to this old thread which I found entertaining. This time through I'm curious what difference, if any, will be made by the Orks landing on Coruscant. As in the previous thread the space hulks will pancake "dirt side" to sow destruction and general chaos as well as disgorging the troops within. As for the numbers involved I found this which while at least a little fanon should be adequate for "general" idea of the threat:

Ork space forces included[1]:

12-16 Space hulks
2-3,500 Fighta-Bommer squadrons
2,100+ Attack Craft
80-100 Roks
250-400 Kroozers

In total, across the entirety of Armageddon, Ghazghkull landed between 781,800 and 3,909,000 Orks, 110 Gargants and 275 Battle Fortresses, and between 21,600 and 108,000 Artillery Orks and between 76,200 and 324,300 Speed Kultists.

As for chronology this takes place a few short days before ANH.

The question I ask is twofold, 1) Can the Imperials hold onto Imperial Center or at least deprive it to the Orks and 2) Can the combined might of the Star Fleets contain/destroy this armada or do the Greenskins spread like a cancer maraudering thier way through the Galaxy far, far away?

Bonus question for Breetia and Preao: Does the addition of Valor squad,"The Ram" Thanagar and James "The Mysterious Stranger" Reynolds alter the outcome in the slightest?

[Praeothmin]

I'm pretty sure James's addition changes nothing as the number of Coruscant troops involved would mean nothing...

Thanagar and Valor Squad may help though...

[Mr. Oragahn]

Hard to say. It could be down to numbers vs numbers and organization, since regarding firepower, I don't see much to debate about. Orks ted to be more or less careless and are known to charge, so an excess of troops on their side is not much of a problem, probably going to lead the Orks to swarm. Local defense forces plus all potential citizens owning weapons, plus all defense ships and civilian ships already armed (smugglers and other mafia related dealers) are going to help a great deal, although there won't be much organization between the official defense forces and the local units. That wouldn't be too much of a problem though since the organizational level will most likely be enough to match the cellularized spread of Ork forces. So small groups could still handle their own sector/piece of the sublevel as long as neighbours do the same. And all forces will still try to establish a modicum of information transfer anyway.
Considering the structure of Coruscant, gargants and battle fortresses will actually be of very limited usefulness.
All in all, spores will remain on Coruscant, especially the lower levels, to become an integral part of the local fauna.

[sonofccn]

@ Mr. Oragahn

I'm not sure an assortment of civilians likely no better organized, and possibly worse, than the Orks are really up to routing the Greenskins. After all they're, smugglers/bounty hunters, aren't all Boba Fett or Cad Bane types.

As well Orks posses a crude but durable design, taken from here through it appears to largely be a regurgitation of the text from Xenology. (I'll check when I get back home):

An Orks internal organs, noted earlier, are simple and effective, relying heavily on their fungal elements. They have a large multi-chambered stomach which feeds a crude renal system. This combined with a body-cavity filling 'fungal soup' (which has the effect of replacing the biochemical organs (liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas etc.) gives the Orks an intensely strong internal system, even though it is quite basic in design.

The bones of an Ork are thick, hard and durable, allowing them to sustain high velocity impacts without fracture or damage. The structure is similar to that of humans but the core of the bone contains a spongy fungal matter, replacing the simple human marrow

Finally, much of the Ork body is filled with a spongy mass, presumably to protect what little internal organs the Ork possesses. There are also several gills located around the Ork body, presumably for oxygen absorption.

The structure and design of the Ork body provide a strong, tough and resilient system but also running at a low level of complexity. These combine to show that Orks are genetically engineered for combat. Their muscles are extremely strong and their squat bodies can stand immense punishment.

They have pointed ears like the Eldar, although they have a low density of nerve clusters, indicating a stripped down to bare essentials approach to the Ork creation. All of this gives Orks a simple, effective and durable body, allowing them to fight well but passing over quality of sensation

Simply put they're built to absorb damage and feel it less. While a blaster is certaintly up to the task of killing an Ork, not wholly disimilar to lasguns, I'm not sure your smuggler types pressed into some adhoc militia are. You'll need a good, solid hit to put a Greenskin down not a stray bolt fired wildly from a bounter hunter as he and his unit engage the enemy without clear cohesion or unit discipline.

[sonofccn]

For Xenology here jump to page 42. The dissection report should cover everything the previous page I linked to stated.

Further I found these examples of Ork durability from the Cain book duty calls, as found in Defender of the Imperium Omnibus.

with relief I saw our las boltsimpacting on the torsos of those monstrous assailants, blowing cauterised craters through the dull brown clothing they wore...and the dense flesh beneath. To my horror, the wounds, which would have dropped a human, barely slowed them...

Note the ommision above concerned an asid by Cain regarding how the Orks' brown clothing caused them to blend and blur with thier background making them appear to "flicker".

..firing four or five las bolts from the pistol in my other hand into the creatures exposed belly. To my relief, it staggered back, momentarily blockimg the rush of its fellow, which reacted in what I was soon to realise was the typical manner of all its kind. Without hesitation it smashed its own blade down into the skull of its comrade...with a roar, which left my already abused ears ringing, the ork whose comrade had so casually struck t down charged at me,swinging its cleaver again. Unbelievably, the head wound, which would have proved fatal to a man had, it seemed, barely stunned it, and the belly wounds I inflicted hardly slowed it down

note the above refers to a second pair of Orks whom snuck around while Cain and Jurgen was distracted by the first pair.

Caught in the blizzard of las bolts, the two greenskins staggered at last, dropping to the sands and rolling down the side of the dune to leak out the last of their lives in what I expected to be no more than a moment or two of feeble twitching. To my astonishment, however, they began crawling towards us, the lust for bloodshed still burning in their eyes, until a couple of more carefully placed shots from my imperturbable aid blew their heads apart like overripe melons

note these would be the original pair of Orks which Jurgen dispatches while cain was other indisposed with the second pair.

[Mr. Oragahn]

In some other books the Orks still had to be beheaded either by a blade or gunfire, to consider a sure kill.

Under such evidence, the first waves of Orks would win many engagements.
On Coruscant, I'm not sure how complicated it should be to obtain the heavier weapons for various local defense forces. Anything from grenades to disintegrators and heavy blasters...

[sonofccn]

On Coruscant, I'm not sure how complicated it should be to obtain the heavier weapons for various local defense forces.

For the armed forces it should be as easy, or as hard, as reaching a munitions depot. From here* Heavy weapon or Assault units appear to be intergrated into even their basic or "line" unit from the Battalion level on up. So a "Line" Battalion is made up of 3 "Line" Companies and an Assault Company and a "Line" Regiment is composed of two such Battalions plus an Assault Battalion which trades two "Line" Companies for an Assault and Repulsorlift Company.

Exactly what's the composition in a Heavy weapons unit is never made exactly clear in the Imperial Sourcebook, and thus I can't vouch for wookieepedia's definition of a light repeating blaster, but it likely has things likes the T-21 repeating blaster as well as the notorious E-WEB. Which should be more than up to killing a few Orks.

As for the "militia" we're likely looking at something more schizo. Some, like Boba, will be walking arsenals while, I would argue, the greater majority won't be packing near as much. Perhaps, assuming Han is typical of this sort, a "hand cannon" in the form of a heavy blaster and some thermal detonators. On the other hand during the final days of the Republic IG-86 droids seemed rather prevalent through how much better than a flesh and blood bounty hunter/killer they are is open to debate.

Most crucial, I think, is how long these "militia" groups have to prepare/intergrate as well as how much support the regular forces can provide them. And, admitting my quite limited knowledge of Imperial defense, I'm not sure the armed forces can give them that time.

*If you want I can transcribe the actual text and page numbers from the ISB this is copied/stolen from when I get home. The above merely seemed easier and I'm lazy ;)

[Mr. Oragahn]

No need thx, I have it. Page numbers alone suffice.
It's a vast problem this scenario. There's also the question of help from outside of Coruscant, and if Orks can organize themselves into a force capable of leaving the planet.

[sonofccn]

No need thx, I have it. Page numbers alone suffice.

Thanks, that make this simplier. Page 92-93 in the second edition ISB under the descriptions of line batallion and regiments respectfully.

There's also the question of help from outside of Coruscant, and if Orks can organize themselves into a force capable of leaving the planet.
.

Well the Orks have a fairly hefty size fleet at their disposal, a few hundred vessels larger than most warships in the Imperial Navy, which should, at least initially, hinder the former as for the latter the Orks "Kaptins" will likely began raiding outward from Coruscant if the "Humies" fail to put up a good enough scrape spacewise.