Cannot invade last planet (help needed)

[Jigain]

So I have a bit of an issue. Probably a bug? Maybe a feature? Hopefully with a solution? So, I turn to you.

In my most recent playthrough, I play as a Devouring Swarm. After expanding to my heart's content, I get the munchies (as you do), and look to my neighbors to lend me a snack (as good neighbors do) in exchange for their cells living on forever as part of our biomass. So a fair deal, you see. Generous, in fact.

Nevertheless, a small empire next to mine is kind enough to volunteer. Fair, I did the volunteering for them, but... details. Theirs was a pitiful existance, dwarfed by the Collective (that's us!) in every regard, so it was an easy matter to push a couple of fleets into their territory, land some armies, shoot some outposts, that sort of thing. But then... something odd happened.

As my armies secured the final planet they had, I expected this "war" to end. But it did not. After looking around, I found the culprit - a new colony they had begun establishing shortly before I kindly offered them to join us. It was in one of the first systems I took from them, so I figured, "no worries, I'll just park a fleet and my armies over their planet, wait until it's fully colonized, and take it then. It's only another nine months or so, I can wait."

And so we waited patiently in the skies for their colony to finish establishing, and when it finally does, on New Year's, we descended like inverse fireworks upon them.

And took up defensive positions.

I was baffled. That my faithful drones, who had served me for years, suddenly decided to defend these sna- I mean, people, was unimaginable to me. So I ordered them to take off, and then land again. Same thing. I ordered my fleet to bombard the planet to dust, but even they betrayed me and just spent time in orbit. I even tried fooling my drones by sending them to a different system, then come back and saying "look, a new planet we absolutely have never seen before, let's eat!" But nothing.

Any suggestions? Also accepting recipe ideas.

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TL;DR: Devouring Swarm using the Hunger casus belli. Declared war on a neighboring empire, completely and utterly crushed it, capturing all its territory and established planets. Couldn't capture a planet being colonized, although I took its territory. Waited for colony to be established, but despite still being at war, cannot invade - all armies land on the defending side. Cannot change anything on the planet, resettle, use the spaceport - so clearly the planet isn't belonging to me. It does say I'm occupying it, likely because the system is mine. Cannot end the war in my favor at this rate - offering Status Quo means I have to put up with them in my territory for 10(?) years before I can finally deal with them, which I'm not a fan of. Accepting any and all suggestions on how to solve this - ideally with in-game mechanics, but if necessary, with console commands.

Thanks in advance.

[Meewec]

check the system on the galaxy map, does it have the spikes around your flag? it's weird that it isn't automatically your territory unless the devouring swarm casus belli works different than the purify one does, i haven't tried one of those out yet.

[Jigain]

There are no spikes on the galaxy map, no. In fact it doesn't have any solid label or empire flag at all, making it look just like any other system with only an outpost and no colonized planets in it.

[Meewec]

hmm, sounds like you managed to find a new bug. is the system yours or theirs still? i honestly don't know how the swarm casus belli works, if it's like the normal ones or if it's like purify/total war where you take the system instantly once you fully control it

[Jigain]

The system is mine. Hovering over their planet label shows that it "lies within 'The Collective' space" and it's "controlled by The Collective", but I don't have any actual control of the planet at all.

[Meewec]

hmm, it might be some weird interaction with the war then. but since it's in your borders i would think once the war ends it should become your planet but as for ending it the rest of the way, not sure. this happened to me when the nomads wanted to settle on one of my worlds, i said sure and they instantly were handed over to me and i'd destroyed their empire.

[Jigain]

I tried peacing out before making this thread, and they retained their planet, still within my space. And forced me into peace for ten years.

I did via testing just find out I can solve the problem with the console command "own", in a worst-case scenario. Still, I'd like to do it with in-game mechanics if possible, so I'll leave that as a potential solution if no one can think of anything for a day or two.