[PSYCH]

High up on the sand dunes was the rendezvous point; Wendy O. Koopa was already there to scout ahead and she had tweaked her outfit for the desert. Her extra large hair ribbon had been untied and rearranged round her head as a protective polkadot headwrap and a pair of protective pink eye goggles shielded her made-up eyes from sandstorms. Her pink heeled shoes had been discarded to one side as Wendy quickly realized how impossible it was to walk on sand in them. She pouted her glossy pink lips and snapped her goggles on top of her head as she took up a pair of binoculars to view the surrounding landscape. The desert was littered with wrecked spaceships both giant and compact in scale and the air shimmered with heat waves from guttering superpowered engines, still fighting for life. Large patches of sand had been melted by plasma into fields of glass that looked like water from a distance and the occasional crackling bursts of electromagnetic pulses released a thick smell of ozone through the air carried on the wind.  

Wendy sighed - what could possibly be in these wastelands that would interest a bunch of Dry Bones? The skeletal Koopas usually just wandered around mimicking their former lives as members of the Koopa Clan, serving their King and attacking his enemies. They liked to wander, sure, but never anywhere so far from life as this. Times were tough and the Clan needed to keep their numbers up; the undead filled a large portion of those numbers as they couldn't be killed again. Wendy knew how important it was to get them back and find out who was messing with them - whoever it was, she couldn't wait to give them a good clobbering.

According to the sensor tech Life Sphere had strapped to her wrist for the mission, the distress signal was coming from further out to the east past the junkyard of space debris and out into the open sandbanks known as the Shimmering Wastelands. The team would have to cross through the scattered remnants of the city-sized research base and come out the other side.  This wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park - it was well-known that scavengers stalked through the debris picking apart whatever they could get their hands on to sell on at the Life Sphere Black Market... and they didn't like to share.

Although she wouldn't admit it out loud in case they thought she'd gone soft, Wendy was relieved that some Koopalings had signed up to join her on this mission. Not because she was nervous, heck no, but because Koopaling constitution was naturally resistant to heat as they had been raised in the volcanic bowels of Bowser Castle so Wendy wouldn't have to worry about anyone fainting on her first mission as leader. She was anxious about having Bowser Jr on the mission though - if something should happen to the little lord, Bowser's wrath would be great and terrible. She would have to make extra efforts to keep him safe - Ludwig could take care of himself. Wendy huffed impatiently and tapped her bare foot on the sand, checking her tech sensor again - what was taking them so long anyway??

[TartoonHand94]

“Come on, come on, you piece of junk!” Ludwig impatiently spanked the brim of his Koopa Clown Car. The rickety bulb copter might have been the height of Koopa transportation technology, but this mass-produced model had been in in need of a proper repair for some time. It could not do so much as fire a cannonball without falling apart itself. It barely sufficed as a mode of transportation, which Ludwig was sour to discover. The irregular spins of the propeller made for a bumpy trip all the way from the Mushroom Ruins. At this point, Ludwig would have preferred to travel via warp pipe, but there was the risk that getting lost would jeopardize his punctuality. He couldn’t have that, not when She’s the one calling the shots. He did not only have a reputation as the most conscientious, prompt and responsible Koopaling to uphold, he had a shell to protect from her…tantrums. He shuddered at the thought. He still had a lump under his hair from the last time. As miserable as the journey was, he was not looking forward to the destination very fondly either.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Ludwig for a Shy Guy from the way his hair was wrapped under a turban. The heat didn’t bother him as much as you’d think, being right at hope in volcanic zones. It was to protect his hair from all the sand. He was a busy Koopaling and spending days combing the sand back out of his hair would sabotage his entire surreptitious schedule.

“Well Finally! I was almost certain we’d never arrive.” Ludwig complained despite at long last, his destination came over the horizon. “Still not sure if I’d have been worse off if I didn’t, though…”
The desert became a junkyard of crashed ships from all walks of galactic life. It would be the perfect spot for looting, if not abandoning this rusty toilet bowl.
“Now hurry up! If we arrive late when we’re so close, I swear I’m Leaving you here with the rest of them!” Makes for a good threat though.
Before long, Ludwig spotted the large pink headwrap that only one person he knew would be wearing.
“There she is…let’s get this over with…” He gulped, instructing his Clown Car to descend.
“Wendy!” He called out to announce his arrival. “Ludwig Von Koopa, Reporting In!” He jumped out of the exhausted panting vehicle to formally salute. He didn’t know if she was happy to see him or cross with him for being late, so he decided to start off on a formal foot as that was the least risky option.

[heirtothemonado]

Moving at a much faster pace then Ludwig's, Jr's Clown Car soon was visible on the horizon, drawing closer...

To say he was surprised that Wendy would have come out here was an understatement. There must have been some kind of payoff if she was willing to come out in this mess of a sandstorm. Jr had pulled is bandana over his nose just so he could breath. He had also managed to steal borrow some goggles of one of the Lakitus back home. He was completely ready for anything the desert could throw at him.

What he wasn't ready for, however, was Sector X.

As he drew near to the rendezvous point, a bolt of electricity arced across the control panel of the clown car. Jr shielded his face from the blast, but the damage had already been done. The entire control system had shorted out. Smoke started billowing out of the cockpit as the Clown Car dove to the ground with a crash.

Jr was tossed from the cockpit, landing a few feet away from his two siblings. He groaned and slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Great. I'm gonna have sand in my shell for months" Jr muttered to himself. Trying not to let that bother him, he made his way over to Ludwig and Wendy.

"Well, I guess I won't be using that thing for a while. Whatever, I'm here" Jr said, announcing his presence shortly after Ludwig. He quickly turned to face Wendy. "So? Why'd you call us out here? Surely there's more here for you then acres of sand and junk, right?" Jr knew about his sister's rather explosive temper, but today had gotten off to such a bad start that he was already past caring.

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Bowser Jr
Health: 150/150
Shield: 50/50
Status: Sandy