The battle for Ignothia commences!
I couldn't find a first name for Stackhouse, so I've used the first name of the actor who played him. If anyone knows a first name, let me know and I'll change it :)

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Chapter 46

When the attack began, the fleet was in the process of a scheduled crew rotation between ships. Groten often erupted in violence when too many were cooped up together for long periods. Rotations mixed crews between ships, leading to a more harmonious life in the Groten vessels, lessening the violence and fighting that would otherwise destroy the fleet from within. It was well known that when rotations were missed, it generated psychosis that led Groten to attack anything around them, often killing each other without fully realising what they were doing. Groten were not social animals, and as a result, spacefaring was a dangerous profession for them. The psychosis was why the war between them and the enormous Ghanti had gone on for so long, as the behemoth enemy territories encroached on Groten land, leaving thousands of villages and cities on their home planet filled with psychotic Groten.

The rotation was almost halfway complete when the attack began. One of the white darts had shot from the Stargate and fired upon the corridor which was facilitating the transfer, connecting two Groten ships. One ship burned up in the atmosphere, while the other was incapacitated, dead in space. The remaining ships continued to fight it out with the small craft that had quickly become the bane of Sik'tak's existence. Many lives were lost, and now they battled to save those who remained.

Sik'tak watched the tiny ships tearing holes in the hulls of his fleet. The white darts were relentless, firing mercilessly on the Groten ships while running circles around them. He snarled an order at Drurig to launch the silos, trigger the Sonosfire, to do something to end the surprise attack. The Sonosfire blared out from Sik'tak's ship, and he watched with satisfaction as one of the white craft shook itself apart. It vibrated in the air as it swooped in close, the hull tearing and pulling apart until the insides fell away, taking the strange creatures within down to their deaths. He ordered the launch of scout ships to deal with the darts, but even these had difficulty dealing with the speedy little craft.

The white crafts launched machines, but there was something else going on, as Sik'tak had occasionally witnessed the sudden appearance of machines in mid-air, which then navigated to land on his ships. He'd seen this two times now, and while he didn't understand how they were doing it, he fully understood the aim of their mission. These machines, some red, some blue, tore into the hulls of the fleet and burrowed inside. Sik'tak heard the communications from around the fleet of the machines carving up his people.

So far, none of the machines had reached his ship, though they had tried. He'd already watched three hit by the Sonosfire, standing no chance of survival. These machines burst into clouds of debris and red mist, destroyed within seconds. More machines launched from the white craft, and still more appeared mid-air to join the fight. He instructed Drurig to run a sweep with the low-yield scanner, thinking of the anomaly seen before near the Stargate. Sure enough, Drurig reported three anomalies flying unseen among the white darts. The killing machines were merely launching from these hidden ships, not suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Sik'tak was impressed; such technology would be useful to his fleet, and so he ordered Drurig to hone in on one of the invisible craft so that they might capture it to study once the battle was over. It took longer than expected to capture the highly maneuverable craft, but once in the capture net normally used to harvest the Goh, Sik'tak moved his ship back into space, dragging the small craft away from the battle and any help it may ask for.

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The main control panel in the rear of the Jumper sparked and hissed, and instruments screamed as Stackhouse attempted to throttle out of the Groten ship's grip. The Jumper shook and bucked but couldn't break free, pulled ever upward toward the vessel above. He peered warily up at the underbelly of the massive ship, feeling more than a little concerned.

"The hell are you doing, Stackhouse?!" Lorne's angry shout burst in the com "I said no solo missions!"

"I'm not doing this on purpose! The thing has some kind of electrical net around the craft. I can't break out!"

"What do we do?" Forest asked as he leaned closer to the viewport to gaze upward.

"Keep the cloak up, keep the shields running, and hope we get out of this," Stackhouse replied as he tried everything to get the Jumper free. "Stevens, see if you can get us more power!" He shouted to the scientist working on the smoking control panel.

The three Jumpers transported five biosuited Caronaan warriors each and one huge Sentry that sat curled up in the hatchway. There was hardly any room left in the rear of the Jumper, save some space for Stevens. The crew ran the mission with three Atlanteans to make room for the giant machines, and two warriors were dropped at a time, spreading the biosuited warriors around the Groten fleet.

Barna clanged the three-fingered hands of his biosuit together. "We can attack from inside," he said, looking to the Sentry curled up in the hatchway, its pilot, Colis, already getting into the suit. "This is the biggest ship, so three of us and Colis will head inside. Orna and Stia will stay with you."

"We open the hatch to a ship full of Groten, we're all dead," Forest said.

"We don't take a chance, we're all dead anyway," Stackhouse replied grimly. "No one's coming to help us, they have problems of their own. At least the four warriors have a chance to gain control."

The Jumper came to a halt inside the belly of the Groten ship. Several huge Groten milled around, sniffing and bobbing warily around the invisible craft. One reached out a paw and pulled back with a roar as it came into contact with the shield, prompting the others to attack the Jumper. Getting the same result as the first, the Groten became violent, throwing themselves at the Jumper and bouncing off the shield in enraged perplexity.

"How fast can you guys get out once I open the hatch?"

"I can roll the suit out," Colis said from within the Advanced Bio. "That will save time."

"I believe the havoc we will create will give you a chance to get free of the ship," Barna said, flexing his mechanical hands. "Don't wait for us, Fer Stackhouse, our suits will protect us. If that net loses its hold on the Jumper, get out of here."

Stackhouse kept his eyes on the Groten. They were moving towards the front of the Jumper, and as they all converged before the viewport, he told the Caronaans to get ready. He gave the command and opened the hatch, with the mechanism seeming to take forever to fully open. The Groten bobbed up and down, trying to figure out what the noise was, and one moved hesitantly down the side of the Jumper, just as Colis rolled outside.

Carnage ensued as the Sentry went to work, tearing limbs from the screaming Groten as Barna and the two other warriors headed out. Stackhouse closed the Jumper hatch as all Groten moved to help their fallen comrade. The hatch locked shut, and Stackhouse breathed a sigh of relief; they were safe for now. He and Forest watched the biosuits move through the hangar bay, ripping into anything that came their way. The red Sentry, being larger and stronger, easily cut down Groten after Groten. The smaller warriors did well to keep up with it, being more agile and fast. They moved continually, making their way through the hangar and clearing it of the beasts, then moving on into the corridor. They disappeared deeper into the ship, leaving the Atlanteans and remaining Caronaa warriors alone in the hangar bay.

"What now?" Forest asked, climbing into the co-pilot seat and staring wide-eyed out the viewport.

"I don't plan on hanging around for more of those animals to come our way. I assume the beam that caught us terminated once it brought us inside. So, I'm thinking of firing some drones and getting the hell out of here."

"Wait, let me look for weaknesses in the mechanisms," Stevens said, walking into the cockpit. "If there is a— yes, that one, right there," he said, pointing at a panel with multiple cables snaking from it. "That looks like a main power node, take that out and maybe we'll have a chance."

Stevens returned to the control panel as Stackhouse maneuvered the Jumper within the hangar bay. It was a tight squeeze, but the hangar was big enough to allow for some movement.

"Alright, here's hoping this works," he said as he fired a drone at the panel.

The drone blew a hole right through the panel and the hangar wall, and Stackhouse pulled the Jumper upward just as the hangar bay doors dropped. They didn't fully open, but another drone quickly took care of them, then Stackhouse dropped the Jumper out into space.

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Alarms screamed in the bridge of the Groten lead ship, and Sik'tak roared with fury. The hangar doors were damaged, their catch escaping, leaving his hangar open to the vacuum of space. The scout ships would be unable to return, and the capture net was no longer functioning. His vessel was in pieces, and he was enraged. He ordered the entire fleet to go after that one invisible craft, instructing them to use the low-yield scanner to find it and blow it out of the sky. Drurig reset the shields so they could safely re-enter the atmosphere and join the fight, but the speakers in the coms unit burst to life, and from all over the ship, they heard deafening cries. Sik'tak listened to the dying screeches and roars of pain, heard still more in the corridor outside, and his rage grew.

The machines had made it into his ship.

Sik'tak screamed at Drurig to close the door to the bridge, but it was too late. A blue machine came barreling from the corridor, splashes of black, Groten blood marring its smooth metal surfaces. It moved so fast that Sik'tak had no time to react as it attacked Drurig and ripped his head from his neck. The machine then turned to Sik'tak, who bellowed with rage and ran towards it. He roared and pulled at an arm of the infernal machine as it gouged his body with cruel metal hands. He tore the arm away and threw it at the machine, furious at the carnage it was causing.

The machine leaped at him, using its remaining arm to grasp his massive head. Having seen the same tactic used on Drurig, Sik'tak headbutted the machine twice, hoping to smash the little window on the front. He was sure something lurked behind that dark rectangle, convinced that the machine did not act alone. Inside the confines of the bridge, he found it challenging to utilize his full strength, as the limited space prevented him from fully engaging his body in the fight. He pushed at the machine, hoping to get it out into a space that he might unfold his complicated body and use his full strength to tear it to pieces. But the machine was unforgiving, and Sik'tak began to fall under its crushing blows.

Sik'tak pulled and pushed at the machine, edging it into the corridor with its high ceiling and open space. One step out into it, Siknak unfolded his body and unfurled the slabs of muscle that twisted around his frame. He now towered above the machine, and viciously bit at it, his long teeth puncturing a hole in its white dome. He heard a cry from within, confirming his belief that the machine was controlled, and he put a massive claw to the hole and tore the machine's top apart. A small creature looked out at him from within, barely any hair upon its body, save for the dark hair atop its head. It was a strange creature, small in stature, weak in presentation, and it was little wonder it used a machine to fight its battles. Its eyes were wide with fright as Sik'tak pulled back and then rushed forward, grabbing the head of the creature between his massive teeth and slowly pulling it from its body as it had Drurig. The creature screamed and writhed, the machine that held it having conniptions as the signals from its master fired rapidly through its system. Sik'tak took his time, listening to and enjoying the screams that echoed in his mouth as he slowly closed his bite.

The machine stilled, the screams stopped, and Sik'tak lapped at the fluid that burst forth. He threw the damned thing to the side and stomped further into the corridor, searching for whatever else was attacking his crew. Groten bodies lay scattered around, and another machine was there, tearing his crew to pieces. This machine was different to the last, larger, red in colour, with four powerful arms that it used to rip and tear his crew apart. Sik'tak roared with fury as it ripped an arm off one of his closest guards, its screams of pain deafening. He rushed at the red machine, screeching with fury as it threw the torn arm to the side and turned to face him.

Sik'tak never got within striking distance. The machine doubled over, and from its spine opened a curl in the metal, unleashing a salvo of tiny projectiles that peppered his body with accuracy. He floundered in his step, tripping over a body and falling to the blood-soaked floor. The machine stalked close, its four arms reaching for him. But he wouldn't go so easily. He took a breath and pushed the pain from his mind, getting to his feet and moving so quickly that the machine barely twitched by the time he was upon it. He pulled and grabbed, slashed and bit and for a time it seemed he would defeat it. But this machine was far more robust than the last and controlled with an expert technique, which saw Sik'tak's leg break in two. He fell again, and this time he didn't get up. Whatever had been in the machine's projectiles, it started to work on him now. Sik'tak fell forward, slumping over the spine of one of his dead comrades and closed his eyes.

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It seemed like every ship in the sky was after them, and Stackhouse couldn't understand how they could see his Jumper. Scout ships roared after him, proving difficult to shake, and the larger vessels fired at him as they flew past.

"You sure did piss them off," Lorne said over the com.

"Taking on the lead ship usually does," he replied, narrowly missing a Vipen that swooped in front. "Reckon our cover is blown somehow."

"Yep, I think so. They've been coming for us too."

Stackhouse brought the Jumper around as they neared one of the purple mountains, and as he straightened out, one of the larger ships triggered its Sonsofire. It was instant pain and confusion. The sound felt like a physical smash to the entire body, and all three unsuited humans clamped their hands over their ears. No matter how tight they held their hands, they could still hear the sound just as loud, and it smashed at their bodies relentlessly, making their skin and bones vibrate. Orna and Stia, trapped in the biosuits and unable to cover their ears, shut down the suits' external mics, but still the sound hit them. The suits rattled and resonated with the sound, and they suffered terribly. The Jumper juddered and creaked, parts shook from moorings and fittings, panels sparked, and the engines cut out. There was a moment of nauseating free fall, and their stomachs twisted as the Jumper went into a nose dive.

Stevens was screaming, Forest's mouth was open, but nothing was coming out, and Stackhouse folded over, unable to help them as he cried out in pain. Their minds were scrambled, their bodies contorting, and the Jumper continued its rapid descent towards a sea of long, yellow grass and tall orange trees. It sure did look pretty, but hitting that ground was a death sentence for all.

"Stackhouse, pull up!" Lorne screamed as the Jumper fell. "Damnit, Stackhouse!"

He could hear Lorne's panicked voice, but Stackhouse couldn't do anything. His thoughts were scattered, and he barely knew whose voice it was he could hear. He tried to lift his head, but when he did, it made him ill, and his mind stalled.

"BOYAN! PULL UP!"

Hearing his first name being screamed so loudly through the com in his ear was enough to pull Stackhouse from his confusion. He looked out the viewport and saw the Ignothian landscape rushing to meet them. He tried to gather his thoughts and instruct the Jumper, but he could only concentrate on the awful noise that felt like it might liquify his insides. He saw Forest suddenly slump over the console, bleeding from the ears and nose, his eyes rolled back in their sockets. The sight kick-started Stackhouse's brain. The engines fired to life, and the Jumper came alive at his determined thoughts. The craft struggled to pull up, and he was sure it was too late and they wouldn't make it. But then it pulled free of its downward trajectory and swooped upward, skimming the face of a purple cliff as it reached for the sky. The sound from the Sonosfire faded as the Jumper rose, and Stackhouse could hear Stevens coughing in the back.

"Get up here and check Forest," he shouted. "I'm not sure he's breathing."

Stevens stepped into the cockpit and pulled Forest back in his seat. The man groaned and stirred a little, much to both men's relief.

Stevens belted him to the seat so he didn't fall. "He's fine, just knocked out."

"You guys okay?"

"We're fine, the Jumper's in a bit of a mess, though."

"I just heard from Colis. He has control of the lead ship and the head Groten."

"I knew they could do it."

There was a brief pause and then, "Barna didn't make it."

The smile died on Stackhouse's lips. "Co—copy that," he said after a while.

He didn't know what else to say. Barna had been a loyal ally, a strong and capable warrior and while he didn't know the man well, Stackhouse respected him. He was sorry that he didn't survive the Groten ship, and it made Stackhouse mad enough to turn the Jumper towards a scout ship and fire upon it. The drone hit the small craft right in the viewport. Any Groten inside were long dead before the craft hit the side of the mountain. Stackhouse carried on, a fire blazing in his chest as he sought the next target.

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Lorne had been friends with Stackhouse since before the start of the expedition, and losing him would mean losing his best friend. He'd followed the path of the stricken Jumper, wishing there was a way that he could help pull it out of its death dive. He was relieved when Stackhouse finally gained control and pulled up. From his right, a Groten scout ship approached, firing bright blue flashes towards him that he struggled to stay clear of. He'd seen a Vipen hit with the strange weapon, and it split the craft in two. Only the three Jumpers and five Vipen remained; the others were destroyed in the battle. But Lorne was glad to hear when the final Groten ship fell under their control.

However, the scout ships remained dangerous, relentlessly attacking all remaining Vipens and Jumpers. If they succeeded in destroying the last crafts, the Groten in the scout ships would likely return to control the Groten vessels, leading to a disastrous failure of their mission. All of the Jumpers were out of drones and unable to fire on the enemy. Therefore, Lorne devised a plan that involved, of all things, playing a game of chicken. He instructed the remaining fleet to partner up and deliberately get pursued by scout ships, then fly head-on to their partner. He teamed up with Teldy, while Stackhouse paired with one of the Vipens. There were hair-raising moments when he thought he'd made a mistake with the plan, times when the two partnered ships almost collided, veering away at the very last second. For the most part, the plan worked, and before the Groten wisened up to the ploy, many broken scout ships plummeted from the sky. Biosuited warriors were deployed to seize control of the remaining scout ships. When the battle finally ended, they had not only retaken four Groten Titans but also captured seven Groten Piors—an outcome Lorne considered a successful mission.

With the battle over, all that remained was transporting the captains and Head Groten back to Ignothia for implanting, which wouldn't be without risk. But as long as the Sentry kept them subdued with their tranquilliser darts, it should be safe enough.

He hoped.

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