As if it wasn't bad enough that the Yuuzhan Vong had gone back on their word. Though, Jack realized, it should hardly come as a surprise. He didn't expect much of them. Hopefully they didn't have more of those weapons on hand, it was just one more thing they didn't need.
Thor had passed the word that one of Ba'al's worlds had been attacked. By one individual it seemed. In the grand scheme, the nearly three dozen murdered was barely a drop in the bucket. But the brutality of it was heinous, and the implications frightening.
They were looking for Earth.
"Sam." Daniel's tone held dread.
"Tau'ri," Jack was quick to say. "They're looking for the Tau'ri. Wherever they got their information, it wasn't from her."
He didn't want to think of it. Of the Yuuzhan Vong finding her, catching her. He shook the images of torture from his mind. She was fine. They'd find her somehow, not the Yuuzhan Vong, and this nightmare would be over.
Teal'c weighed in. "Whoever divulged this information did not reveal to them the location of Earth. There is still hope that the Yuuzhan Vong will not come across this knowledge."
"Yeah. Anyway, this whole thing seems kinda... hinky to me."
Daniel gave Jack a strange look. "Hinky?"
"Come on. From what Thor told us this was one guy. One guy who snuck into a village full of slaves and pretended to be one. Who asked questions before going on a rampage and killing everything in sight. These Vong guys are a lot of things, but stupid isn't exactly one of them."
"How is murder stupid?"
Daniel didn't follow, but Teal'c knew what Jack meant. "The Yuuzhan Vong have proved in the past that they are capable of obtaining knowledge if they so desire. They manipulated Yu and have demonstrated awareness of their surroundings."
"Slaves are a waste of their time. Whoever did this, I don't think they're connected with the higher ups. Too sloppy."
They clearly knew what channels to pursue, and this wasn't one of them.
Daniel gave a small nod. "Makes sense. But if this individual is looking for Earth..."
"He's looking for Sam." Jack agreed. Nothing else made fit. Earth didn't register as a threat, and the Yuuzhan Vong were busy pressing into Goa'uld worlds. Diverting the resources necessary to pacify a population of their size didn't make a lot of sense. This, as far as he could see, was very much personal.
For now, there wasn't anything meaningful they could do about it. The perpetrator was gone, and there was no way to guess where they'd go, or what they'd do. It was just one more thing to cramp his gut with fear. He knew without a doubt they'd hear from this person again.
Found
"Missing." Tsavong Lah spat out the word with contempt. "How many?"
The tactician stood sharply. "Some small transports, one frigate. The losses are negligible, Warmaster."
Whether it be one or one thousand, it was inexcusable. "And the shamed ones?"
"It is impossible to know for certain, perhaps one hundred."
"Cowards. They will suffer for their indiscretions. I want the shamed ones watched. No ships may launch without a warrior escort. Any sign of resistance is to be eliminated on sight. Let no one forget their place."
"It will be done." The tactician saluted and left.
Glory would be his, a band of worthless cowards would not distract him from his task. In the end, he would have retribution. This indiscretion would not go unpunished.
Found
"A bold action." Yon'ti said. He tried to hide it, but she could hear the hesitation.
Sam merely shook her head. There was no other option. "It has to be. And if anything like this is going to work, it has to be now. While they don't know what's going on."
If she wanted to increase her support, she needed to do something big. To do something this big, it would never work once the Yuuzhan Vong were on their guard. If they already were... this would be very quick. But how would they see it coming?
Infiltrating a supply world. It was so crazy that it would work. Her time at the SGC had often proven as much. Getting on planet would be the easy part. Avoiding detection, escaping, those were the pieces that would make or break everything.
There were only a few here, the ones that Yon'ti trusted implicitly. Ones that could be helpful with planning and execution. A couple from the warrior caste, a low level attendant who had apparently fallen victim to a rival.
"A small group is best. Easier to remain unseen." The warrior spoke with a surprising air of authority. Clearly used to giving orders. Though no cape of command hung, the spines still rose from his shoulders. He wasn't wrong.
"Yeah. We will need to sabotage everything. The spores aren't contagious, but T'zano says that they won't know that. They need to think that the contamination is widespread."
Only the items touched by the spores would be affected, but the agent would be long dead before any studies could be done on the infected materials. Amphistaffs, villips, even coralskippers would develop serious defects, or even die altogether. It wouldn't curtail their supplies by very much.
But if done right, it could seriously stall further advances while they tried to figure out the cause of the infections. Give Thor and the System Lords time to do... something. Distract and harry, it was all Sam could do to help. She hoped it would be enough.
Yon'ti gave a somber nod. "Those who go will not return."
"No," Sam said. "We can't just afford to throw away bodies. There needs to be a distraction when it's time to go, to draw their attention. It won't be easy, but it can work."
They discussed the matter, Sam detailing the plan she had worked up so far. The warrior that spoke, Quorang Lah, listened intently, made suggestions of where to target, what to avoid. He was well versed in tactics, seeming to know what to expect and how to counter the threats. He was eager, too. Already he had volunteered to come on the mission. Though he only had one arm, Sam didn't hesitate to agree. His stance indicated that the missing limb would not slow him down.
When the others had dispersed, Sam continued to stare at him. There was something familiar in his features. Younger, of course, but the face was equally imposing. As soon as she saw it, Sam wanted to dismiss the notion. Czulkang's son? She had thought Tsavong Lah was the only one.
He spoke sharply at her continued stare. "Explain yourself."
"You look like your father."
Quorang scowled. "Do not mock me."
"No," Sam said quickly. "I was just surprised. I wouldn't imagine anyone would dare cross Czulkang."
"He always lacked discipline, and honor. But I was not aware how far Tsavong would sink." He bared his teeth with a low growl.
"Your own brother?" Family bonds were strong. That kind of betrayal was unthinkable. "And Czulkang did nothing?"
"It was my own carelessness that I did not see it coming. There was nothing to be done. And now our father lives as a trophy. Tsavong has no honor."
Sam shook her head. "Czulkang Lah is revered, why is it so wrong for Tsavong Lah to show him mercy?"
"The mighty Czulkang has no need for mercy. My brother should have struck him down when he challenged for the title of Warmaster. Allowed him the glory of a warrior's death. That, I would have done for him. He deserved nothing less."
She understood, at least in the academic sense. Growing old, especially among the warriors, was not something they aspired to. Dying young may mark someone as a fool or unskilled, but at least they went in the way of the warrior. Often they wanted their death to be as glorious as there life, not merely a fading into nothingness.
But it still seemed odd to her that killing his own father would be viewed as the more noble end.
"Give me battle, and I will wage it. In combat I shall regain my honor."
"I have no doubt," Sam said.
Could her efforts also help the Yuuzhan Vong? Somehow change their society so the war that now raged would never have to happen again? No, a change like that would be a long time in the making. A start, maybe. But it wasn't her focus, couldn't be if she wanted to help save everyone from Yuuzhan Vong dominion. If somehow she managed both, all the better.
For now Sam put it aside. She'd need to concentrate if this was going to succeed.
Found
Even with just five occupants, the transport ship was crowded. It was slightly larger than a tel'tac, having a more ovoid shape than the triangular ships the Goa'uld preferred. Much of the space was relegated to cargo, T'zano's modified spores and other items they'd need to complete the mission. Sam looked towards the rear compartment that was sealed off from the ship. The spores were dangerous enough on their own, but the other cargo contained behind the sealed hatch made her tense. It might just save them. But if the execution failed it could be as dangerous to their ship as any pursuers.
Maybe it wouldn't come to that.
Sam looked back to the darkness of space. Only a few distant stars broke the monotony. They had to leave hyperspace before approaching the system, not wanting to be detected. Even now the ship flew largely unpowered. The vector had been carefully calculated. They'd come in just like any other stray rock hurtling through space. Between the size of the ship and the convoluted approach, no one should give them a second look. If they did, then it was already over.
Yon'ti sat on the floor beside her. Though he seemed to be meditating, Sam had the feeling that he was still attuned to her every move. He insisted on coming. He may not have been a warrior, but he was more than used to moving about unseen. And he was more than willing to do whatever was necessary. She trusted him, after all he had come to her.
The final two were picked by Quorang. Both were long and lean, valuing speed as well as stealth. It didn't take much inspection to realize that they had been warriors in their past life. Even cloaked with shame they still managed to stand above the rest. Pride, it seemed, drove many of the shamed ones around her. Those who refused their lot, and those who accepted it so deeply that they prayed to Yun-Shuno fervently seemed to be the ones that had gathered together. Only the most ardent.
How many would come if they actually managed to pull this off? She'd need more, lots more, if this was going to have any real impact.
The planet grew as they approached, now distinct from the distant stars that glowed. Everyone was silent. As if their words might be overheard. Even the ship's sensors were dormant, so all they knew is what they could see through the membrane. Which was very little.
Only when the planet took up most of the field of view, growing from the left, could Sam occasionally make out the twinkle of a ship blotting out a star. There was no way to tell which way the ships were moving, closer or further away. Finally the specks of larger ships surrounding the planet appeared. It was a medium defense, she guessed, with the bulk of forces in key locations to reach multiple worlds with speed. The chances of these worlds being discovered by their enemies was remote, and the resources needed to assault them would be costly for the System Lords to commit.
Sam had only learned of various locations from the shamed ones that had been located there or overheard in passing. And now there was no way for her to get that information out without sacrificing everything she was trying to do here. Destabilizing the Yuuzhan Vong seemed the better choice to her. After all, it may take time, but they could always convert more worlds to suit their needs. Conflict from within, that could bring the invasion to a screeching halt.
Without warning a ship drifted into view from overhead. It was too far to make out details, or to be sure just how big it really was, but still far too close for comfort.
"Do they see us?" Yon'ti said.
Quorang studied it for a moment. "It is not closing. Merely a patrol."
"Let's hope. There's no turning back now." Sam continued to watch the ship slowly drag across their view. It stayed on course, in a high arc over the planet. Nothing to indicate that it paid them any attention. Some smaller ships, coralskippers, dotted around the vessel, but they hung close like gnats. Though there was considerable distance between them, it felt as though they were nearly brushing. They would be little more than the specks of the coralskippers to anyone looking, but with the blanket of space behind they were virtually invisible to the eye.
"We approach the atmosphere."
Sam nodded and donned the cognition hood. She kept the ships senses minimal, plotting their trajectory. Thankfully the initial course had been good, they were about as on target as they could get. It would only take a minimal adjustment to angle correctly for entry, one that could easily be ascribed to the growing effects of gravity. Nudging down, she soon felt the first hint of resistance as the ship pierced into the upper atmosphere of the planet.
The ship fell, propelled by the gravity that pulled it down. This was the final test. Would they still be monitoring the supposed meteor as it hurdled down on the planet? If so, the lack of an impact event would surely bring their attention. They were landing well away from the base of operations, the many fields that were being protected, so it was hoped that their attention wouldn't be focused. And just to be sure, she wanted to hold the disguise for as long as possible.
Which left the ground screaming up closer and closer. Sam readied the dovin basals, but did not activate them just yet. The ship's mind was panicked, warning of the impending crash. She ignored it until the last possible moment, the distance to the ground measurable in scant miles. The full power of the dovin basals worked to push against the gravitational field of the planet and pull the ship up from its steep descent. Sam was pushed back in the pilot's chair, the ship unable to fully compensate for the deceleration. They started to pull up from the steep dive slowly, fighting the pull of the planet. The angle was harsh and the ground continued its hasty approach.
Sam's heart raced as the ship dipped down into the line of trees before finally leveling off. The alien plants introduced by the Yuuzhan Vong disintegrated on contact, splintering in their wake. Sam forced herself to take a breath as the immediate danger was over, continuing to slow as she searched for decent cover to land the ship. She remained low, nearly grazing the treetops. The terrain was sharp, with plenty of peaks and valleys. Lots of objects to hide their presence.
There was a steep rock face that grew out of a valley. It rose about three times the height of the ship. And it was sturdy, which was necessary as she set down beside it, using the dovin basals to carve out a hollow to fit within. The singularities ripped away at the rock, hollowing out the stone while leaving the rest of it untouched. While it would do nothing if any surface patrols decided to come along, it would prevent the ship from being detected from above. The hiding hole was tight, allowing little space on any side once she had eased it within.
Sam pulled off the cognition hood and stared out into the growing twilight. "So far, so good."
"The goddess smiles upon us," Yon'ti said. Sam gave a nod to placate him.
"Let's get the supplies together. It's going to take time to get into position."
New growth blanketed the land. The next stage of the transformation that SG-1 had not witnessed. Most of the old trees had long since fallen, save for small patches, consumed by the foreign plants introduced by the Yuuzhan Vong. Thick, knotted tree-like plants replaced them. Their roots traveled far, drawing nutrients and minerals from far and wide, siphoning them back towards the growing fields of war supplies. It was not a sustainable model, focused instead on creating as much as possible as quickly as possible. When the planet was exhausted beyond usefulness it would be abandoned, lifeless.
Even if they could drive out the Yuuzhan Vong invasion that very second, this world and the ones like it would be altered. How long would it take to restore? Even with the Asgard and all of their technology, Sam wasn't sure that there was an easy solution.
"You appear thoughtful."
Sam shook away the musings and glanced at Yon'ti. "Yeah. We should get going."
He considered a response, but simply gave a small bow.
"There will be scattered patrols. Most of the defenses are focused on the base and the fleet in orbit. They believe themselves hidden, that an assault would be detected long before it reached the surface." Quorang's words held contempt.
Sam shook her head. "We're not an assault."
"No," he agreed, almost looking amused. "They are even less prepared for an incursion of this nature."
"Let's hope."
The vegetation got thicker the closer they got to the main operations. Though it was dark, the moon cast enough light for them to pick their way through the new trees and their thick roots. While they did have lambent crystals, they weren't used. There was no need to telegraph their presence. They walked through the night at a slow and deliberate pace and saw no sign of patrols. It seemed that they were scarce this far out.
Sam looked down into the valley and the expansive field of amphistaffs that filled it. Behind it, she could see a villip paddy disappearing behind another rise. There were specks of people in the murky black waters, but she couldn't make out any other details. It was far too risky to move in the daylight, the sun having already risen, with the fields being tended. For now they had to wait within the shroud of the forest.
The base stood in the distance, one noticeable spire with a collection of smaller buildings around it. Otherwise, there was little to see. Patrols were light and spread, mostly pairs or in threes. The rest oversaw the fields and the slaves within, distinguishable through the glean of their armor. It was quiet, and the day seemed to draw on forever. Still, Sam found it hard to settle, and slept little.
How strange it felt to look at it all now and remember how SG-1 had stumbled upon one of the other supply worlds. It sent a shudder through her. They had carelessly tread through fields like this, unaware of what they were witnessing. If they had known, how different could it had been? Not nearly enough, she imagined.
"You seem troubled, my lady."
Sam gave Yon'ti a brief glance. "Just remembering."
"This memory does not bring you joy."
"No."
He looked down into the valley with her. "Is there something to be learned from it?"
"What's done is done." Sam spoke with a sigh.
"Then what is there to gain from dwelling?"
Sam shook her head slightly. "If only it were that simple."
"Truly."
It was twilight again when the fields began to empty. Now, they could finally begin their work. They slipped into the valley through the shadows. Careful to stay clear of the amphistaffs, not wanting to draw attention by straying too close. Even so, she felt like they were all watching her, the stalks rippling slowly, eyes glistening in the low light.
They started among the villips, keeping careful watch for any approaching dangers. Silently they walked through the murky waters, injecting various plants with the toxin. Keeping it from simply being in localized areas, It would help to increase the belief that the infection might be communicable. Some of the plants grew the orbs in pairs. Others in clumps of a half dozen or more, but much smaller. It was these villips that grew together that could communicate between each other, maintaining their link even after severed from the original plant. Many were approaching maturity, nearly ready to be harvested. Those that they infected might be long away from the planet before the sabotage would be revealed.
When the night was coming to a close they had seeded perhaps half the paddy. Sam was coated with muck, occasionally having to duck within the mire when a patrol happened to wander too close. But there was no alarm, and they went unseen.
They set up watches for the day, and this time Sam did manage to sleep.
Found
Three days had passed without incident.
A piercing wail snapped Sam awake. She shot up from the vegetation, clutching her hand device in a tight fist. It was an alarm. They all looked around to each other, faces set with grim determination.
"We need to go. This is all for nothing if we're caught," Sam said. The warriors were itching for a fight, she could see it in their faces. But if the other Yuuzhan Vong figured out what they did here, they'd realize that the threat was localized, easy to deal with. The mystery was everything.
"Wait, look." Yon'ti pointed down into the valley.
A lone figure raced through the grasses. Sam could make out the woman barely, could tell she was jaffa by the robes she wore. The woman raced up the slope in their direction, but already Yuuzhan Vong were in quick pursuit. She wasn't going to make it, not by a long shot.
Even if she did, she'd still be stuck on the world. It broke Sam's heart, the attempt had been an act of futile desperation. And now here she crouched powerless to intervene.
The warrior's amphistaff lashed out, catching one of the jaffa's legs. He yanked back harshly and she slammed to the ground with bone rattling force. It left the jaffa stunned. She barely reacted as the Yuuzhan Vong kicked at her, spitting obscenities. Several other warriors joined in.
"Kaza!" The commander's shout of attention stilled them. She approached in measured steps, resplendent in her cape and red armor. Grabbing the jaffa by the hair, she pulled her up onto her knees. "Pathetic."
"Please," the jaffa gasped, the Yuuzhan Vong's grip relentless, "forgive me!"
"Forgive? You run as a coward, and now you beg mercy as one?"
"It was a mistake, it will not happen again!"
"No," the Yuuzhan Vong snorted derisively, "it will not."
The commander dragged her back towards the amphistaff fields, the jaffa pleading in pain the whole while. Everyone was then gathered around, perhaps two hundred other slaves. With the slope of the valley and the Yuuzhan Vong's booming voice, it could all be heard clearly from their position in the foliage.
The commander addressed the group. "You would do well to remember your place. You are here to work. If you will not work, then I have no use of you. You will make yourselves useful and obedient, or I will make you dead."
She let the words hang thickly before yanking the jaffa's head back once more. The commander pointed into the crowd. "Five."
"What?"
"Choose five. When one is defiant, all are guilty."
"Please. The fault is my own, the punishment should be mine."
"Ten."
"Wait, wait, I shall do as you say."
The woman scanned the crowd, slowly began pointing. Sam quickly realized that she was choosing the old, frail. Those who would be disposed of sooner than later. What else could one do in such a position? Sam looked away as they were summarily executed, flexing the organic ribbon device. For the first time actively wishing that she could use it.
"You wish to go free?" The Yuuzhan Vong's voice cut the silence. Sam looked on once more.
"What? No, no, I wish to stay, to work." The jaffa could see the obvious trap. But it did her no good.
"If you wish your freedom, then by all means you may have it. Go."
The commander pointed into the field of amphistaffs.
"No, please."
"Cross, and freedom is yours."
A signal had warriors pushing the jaffa towards the waving stalks. They ignored her pleas. Amphistaffs went rigid as the movement approached them, the air filling with sharp hisses. Sam clenched her fists, unable to look away.
Her begging fell on deaf ears. If she tried to back away, the warriors would merely push her in once more. Amphistaffs went wild, swiping madly. Some were longer than others, coming impossibly close. Not all of them missed. Dodging one merely opened her up to attacks from others.
Sam turned and walked away. It did nothing to muffle the growing screams, the cuts she knew were becoming deeper and deeper. Interspersed with desperate pleas. It seemed to go on forever before the screaming stopped.
The stunned silence was quickly broken. "Back to work."
Found
The patrol had come out of nowhere.
Sam barely sidestepped the amphistaff that swept through the air. Before she could retaliate, a coufee had cleanly sliced at the vulnerable armor joint behind his knee, sending the warrior to the ground. Yon'ti descended, snapping his neck.
He stood, calm. "Are you injured, my lady?"
"No." Sam shook her head, there was clearly more to him than she had assumed. But that was for another time. "We need to go while we still can."
Yon'ti nodded. "This one will be missed soon enough."
Quorang had already encountered another patrol by the time they met up. Sam rushed towards them as the attacking warrior was flung through the air and landed squarely on his back. Stunned, Quorang killed the warrior with his own amphistaff. He immediately reached into the dead warrior's bandoleer and threw one of the thud bugs from within in one fluid motion. Sam barely had a chance to start, the projectile passing so close that she could feel the air flutter her hair.
There was a wet crack, and she turned to see another warrior nearly decapitated by the heavy insect. The female's corpse slumped to the ground.
"Undisciplined," Quorang said. Talking of the Yuuzhan Vong they faced here.
Young. Inexperienced. This wasn't an assignment the tested and proven would relish. Sam thought back to the commander's speech, the obvious disdain in her words. She resented the post, wanted for true combat and glory. While many might lack experience, the base's defenders had numbers and resources. Things they sorely lacked.
"If we get pinned down, it won't matter how inexperienced they are." They had to keep ahead. For now the Yuuzhan Vong wouldn't know how many they were up against or where they came from.
He hesitated only briefly before nodding. While he was a warrior born and raised, Quorang also possessed patience and foresight. A legacy of his father's training. "The bulk of the forces will shore up assets. This plays to our favor."
Fewer to chase them. For now. "Let's get out of here while it still makes a difference."
It wasn't long before coralskippers began making passes overhead. They were still under cover, but Sam could only hope that their own ship was sufficiently hidden from detection. With any luck their focus would be inwards, defending the base from the assumed threat. But that was only the beginning, once they got to the ship they'd still have to leave the planet. That would be no small feat. It seemed they'd be putting their contingency plan to the test.
As they continued on, they began to collect a following.
"They are getting closer," Yon'ti said.
Still behind them, but not far enough for comfort. They were already running, there was no way to go faster. "Keep moving."
There was a telltale grunt. Sam dove to the ground and shoved Yon'ti down with her. The thud bug crashed into one of the trees. Though the insect heaved and pulled, it was stuck within the thick fibers of the wood.
Sam grabbed Yon'ti's shoulder as they both rose to their knees. "Go ahead and get the ship ready to go. We'll hold them back."
She saw his hesitation, that he wanted to stay. Despite it, he nodded. "I will do as you say."
"Quorang, we need to slow them down."
Standing now, Sam fired the hand device at the approaching warriors. Unprepared, they took the full force of the shockwave and were blown back. Still, they couldn't afford to just stand around. They continued on, impeding the advance with their own thud bugs and Sam's hand device.
What else could they do? If they all just flat out ran then they'd have warriors on their backs while they were attempting to board their ship and launch. The pursuing warriors could board before the hatch was sealed. Or, perhaps worse, coralskippers could attack while the defenses were still down. This way, at least, Yon'ti would be virtually unseen while they fought their way to him. The ship would be ready when they arrived, and they would have to leave fast. Coralskippers were in the area. How close were the larger ships? Would they assume a larger attack and be searching for a larger ship in the area?
Sam dodged the sweep of the amphistaff, blasted back the three other warriors that were closing fast behind him. She tried to bring her arm around to shoot the warrior, but he elbowed her hand aside. He grabbed her wrist to keep Sam from backing away. She saw his play, the amphistaff reared back for another strike, and instead of trying to pull away she closed. With her full weight she charged him. The warrior staggered back a few steps.
His grip on her wrist didn't loosen. Sam held her coufee, ready to take advantage of the close quarters. Before she could strike, another amphistaff coiled around the warrior's neck. His eyes went wide and he gave a short squeak as he was yanked back with brutal force, immediately losing his grip on his own weapon and Sam too. The Yuuzhan Vong rolled to the ground several feet away, dead before he landed.
Clothar, one of the Yuuzhan Vong suggested by Quorang, brought his amphistaff back into a defensive pose. Sam gave him a quick nod and they continued on.
The forest was thinning, they were getting close. Sam looked back, preparing to fire off another blast. But there was no one there, the warriors had backed off. There was only one thing left to do.
"Go, go!" Sam broke out into a run. Quorang didn't hesitate to follow suit, reaching the same conclusion.
She heard the coralskippers approaching again. The sharp whistles made her look up. Vapor trails streaked through the sky as the molten projectiles shot down. Sam staggered as the blast of wind nearly knocked her over. They pelted the ground about fifty feet away, scattering rocks and debris in all directions, vibrations running under her feet. Vegetation was vaporized by the super-heated rock. There was no time to rejoice the poor aim as she heard another volley approach.
The whistling stopped short, and a shadow streaked over. Sam barely caught a glimpse of their ship as it crossed overhead, barely clearing the trees. The dovin basals had absorbed the attack, and it fired a return volley at the three coralskippers. They broke formation, streaking away evasively.
In the brief opening, their ship snapped around and cut speed. Practically falling out of the sky, it broke through the trees and skid to a halt a hundred feet away. They ran to it, the coralskippers already turning for another pass. Ignoring those on foot, the fighters focused on the ship. Sam watched the attacks streak in only to suddenly vanish from the sky as the artificial singularities intercepted them. So close, the roar of the transport's plasma cannons was deafening. The return fire forced the coralskippers to break once more.
As soon as they were in, Sam activated the controls to seal the hatch. Even as it was spiraling shut she called out. "We're in!"
She could feel her stomach pitch as they shot forward, punching through even more trees as they struggled to rise. It was slow, relatively speaking, as the dovin basals were split between propulsion and defense, still assaulted by the coralksippers. Clothar was already in the seat beside Yon'ti, donning another cognition hood. Taking over the weapons so that Yon'ti could focus on flying.
The coralskippers harried, firing their stinging shots and scattering from the return fire. They were able to avoid most attacks entirely, far more agile than the ship they pursued. The small fighters' dovin basals were not as strong as the larger ship so their defenses were not able to deflect much from the heavier guns. One or two shots would drain the dovin basals too much to generate a sufficient singularity without rest. Doing so also cut their maneuverability. The few shots that they could not dodge and had to absorb helped to widen their lead on the coralskippers. One of the coralskippers even succumbed to the molten assault, unable to avoid the shots that seared through the coral hull and the pilot within. It streaked down through the atmosphere.
There were more coralskippers, though. Many more. Both within the atmosphere and still patrolling the space above. It wouldn't be long before they were set upon, the small fighters converging like a cloud of gnats. In numbers more than adequate to disable or destroy.
"Keep all power for propulsion, we need to stay ahead." Sam looked out of the transparent membrane as they climbed though the upper limits of the atmosphere.
"What of the payload?" Yon'ti said. His face was largely obscured by the hood that bonded him to the ship's senses, but the determined grimace was more than obvious.
Sam shook her head. "Not yet. We need to clear the atmosphere, keep as many of their ships behind us as we can. What of the larger ones?"
There was little to see as space grew dark around them. Most of the ships were out of sight, and even if they weren't she'd have seen little more than dots. No indication of size or distance.
"They approach. Two frigates come from converging angles. They will eventually overtake us."
A few coralskippers hassled them, occasional shots nipping at the ship, eating through chunks of yorik coral. Most were still out of weapons range though. The larger ships were also coming dangerously close. And they still weren't far enough away to enter hyperspace. They couldn't afford to divert dovin basal energies to shielding, to slow down. Nor could they wait any longer.
"Jettison the cargo bay."
Found
Spherical, the containment pod filled up almost every inch of cargo space the ship had available. It had a dovin basal of its own, genetically programmed with a specific function. It pushed against the ship, launching the pod out at its maximum strength. The pod shot back, hurtling back towards the swarm of pursuing coralskippers. They merely altered course to go around the approaching obstacle, by all observation harmless, and ignored it.
Set on a timed delay after it cleared the cargo hold, the dovin basal created a singularity on top of itself. The dovin basal imploded, sheering a hole into the pod where it had been grafted. Destabilized, the shell tore apart. It exploded into shrapnel, debris scattering in all directions.
Housed within, packed tightly, feral grutchins poured free of their prison. Insects capable of surviving the rigors of space, they averaged half a meter long. Aggressive, territorial, and very simple. They immediately attacked anything in sight, unable to be trained anything was a target. Coralskippers near the pod were set upon before they could react. The grutchins' thick mandibles and acidic saliva tore into the small starships. Hulls were breached, transparent canopies melted through with barely any resistance. Many Yuuzhan Vong within were killed almost instantly, the virulent acid eating away their flesh as soon as it made contact. Few lived long enough to feel the pincers or sharp legs that tore through them.
A coralskipper attempted to fire on an approaching grutchin. The insect closed too quickly, landing along the plasma cannon. The molten projectile vaporized the grutchin, but the splashback ate through half of the ship, super-heated hull peeling back like wax. What remained of the coralskipper tumbled through space as the pilot's body drifted out of the breach.
All the remaining coralskippers quickly scattered. Some tried to fight, others simply tried to outrun the creatures. Small and nimble, neither option was particularly effective.
The frigates pressed on, quickly closing. Grutchins began to congregate towards the larger targets, undaunted by their size. While the coralskippers proved to be easy prey, the frigates were far more robust. Between their thicker hulls and formidable weapons and defenses, and the relatively small number of grutchins released, they could only do so much damage. But they didn't have to do much.
One of the frigates entered range and fired a salvo from its cannons. Sam watched several streaks shoot past and quickly disappear, and felt a shudder as one grazed the hull. A thick runnel scored the yorik coral, but did not pierce through. But the two dovin basals that had been vaporized were quickly missed. It slowed the ship significantly, and would make it much harder to run any evasive maneuvers.
The second volley didn't come, not at them. Instead the weapons targeted the attacking insects. Their attacks began to breach the thick hull and damage the dovin basals and weapons grafted to it, they couldn't be ignored. Dovin basals all over the frigate swept the space around the ship trying to catch grutchins in their singularities. The other frigate shot past the first, but its projectiles streaked through empty space as the transport ship disappeared into hyperspace.