NOTE: I do not own SMAC/X and/or its characters. EDIT: 31/12/2013- Singularity is just a little too ahead for this sorty, so I have made the update.

Old Games- Prologue

Lal pushed him to talk politics. The whole afternoon, evening (and more than likely late into the night) would be talk about politics.

The only qualified politician on the Unity Mission was the only person that seemed to 'enjoy' it. You could make easy money on which of the leaders wanting to play politics and who wanted to be left alone. (Then there was betting who wanted to take over the world first and how)

He talked non-stop at Zakharov until they arrived at the 'waiting room'. Lal had to deal with 'some other business', and left Zakharov to himself.

The waiting room itself was more like a set of rooms joining to a common area. The other rooms were for warring factions, to try and keep it civil. Just in case.

"No need for fighting" Lal had said. The man was oblivious, all they did was fight.

While he waited, he went through his PDA, knowing full well Natasha had done everything right, he just had to do the check before hand.

His comm received a message;

PRIVATE MESSAGE/ LOCAL SOURCE

TO: P. ZAKH31

CC: O. VITO

/PRIVATE/

GAIAN ENVOY- ARRIVED.

No sooner had he received the message, Lal arrived in with Deirdre in tow.
Zakharov greeted her as any leader would, she did the same. Two Leaders.

"Still so formal, yet you two have the longest standing pact in Planet history, an envious feat indeed!" Lal laughed, toddling off.
The pact was envious, combined votes from either party would make or break any council proposal. Lal dreaded the day that Deirdre (Who held the larger amount of votes) or Yang decided to step in and become Planetary Governor.

As soon as Lal was out of site, Deirdre shot daggers at Zakharov.
"Thanks for the call!" She hissed.

"I got busy, I'm sorry!"
"Yeah, yeah sure, no, like I haven't heard that one before." She rolled her eyes.

"It was the quantum reactor." He quietly snapped back. Trying not to get any information to the security system.

"What?"
He nodded silently.
"Is that what you and the GUPS (Gaia and University Primary scientific Sectors) team's been doing?"

He nodded again.
"Does anyone else know, officially or otherwise?"
He shook his head, "Though Lal hinted at it being only days away."
"Is it?"
"Not that close."

Deirdre had been so busy with internal disputes with what she believed to be a corrupt Gaian council, she forgot to check with the GUPS teams.

"It would have been easier to talk with you via the GUPS."

"Yes." Zakharov spent a lot of personal time with the GUPS, it was the biggest division of scientist in the University. He grabbed her hand, "It is good to see you again Deirdre, even its only for a little while."

Deirdre smiled. "Likewise Prokhor."

There was just something calming about the two being with each other.

v v v

Deirdre was preparing for the Planetary Meeting. The previous night's sleeps had been rough, voices had come back. Millions of voices, screaming, talking. Even while she was awake.

Her eyelids were heavy, her patients short.

"Get in, get sleep, get back." She muttered to herself.

Lucy came in, "Ready when you are ma'am." She reported.

The Gaian council was on her back even more than ever, demanding the selling of Gaian territory to Morganite buyers to help "raise funds".
The Morganites, unable to see Planet as more than a resource, would burn all the xenofields, build more boreholes and disturb more than enough mindworms to cause them to attack.
Deirdre sent out a warning. "If you plan to devastate this plane, then you can hand me in your resignations now."

They kept quiet. Same with Kathleen. The demands for meetings slowed down, and Deirdre went back to running her faction then running about after old men and their money.

Though the lack of sleep did make her irritable.

They had arrived at UN Headquarters. Lucy stayed with the jet as aids where escorted away and Deirdre to the waiting room. When she saw Zakharov face, the urge to punch it rose high. Though she wasn't a very violent person, and deep down inside her, she knew someone else would do it for her.

But once she was able to talk to him, things became clearer, the voices where quiet, there was a small time of peace.

"There is something up with the council." She muttered. "They have outside influences." Deirdre began to briefly describe the last few months since they last spoke. Zakharov, having the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, hadn't had these problems, yet.

"Do you think the two are linked?"
"More than likely."

Morgan enter the room, making an entrance as always.

"Oh look, it's the dynamic duo."

"Greetings Morgan." Deirdre acknowledged,

Zakharov stayed back.

"How are the happy couple?"

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Everything." He snarled.

They had both been in conflict with each other, Deirdre was a serious force to be reckoned with as she took some of Morgan's cities, forcing him to submit to a treaty, thanks to Lal's intervention.

"You can't, and won't have everything."

"Bullshit." They were both centimetres away from each other, staring, ready to defend their beliefs. He took a deep breath, taking in her scent like some rouge killer. "I'll have you one day, by force if I have too."

She had never been so disgusted. She would never allow him to do so. Not if it cost her everything.

"You vulgar being."

"Tree hugging tramp, don't think I know what's going on over there in your Garden of Eden." He side eyed Zakharov. "Your peace will end in fire." He threatened.

"Idle threats don't scare me."

Yang enter the room, Morgan suddenly backed off. Bowing to Deirdre, then walking to the other side rooms. Yang never said much, he didn't have too. Morgan knew that no war could be won without heavy hitters. And with the two heavy hitters living in a quiet peace, he needed a better plan.

"Your 'friends' are becoming restless."

"Human nature," Zakharov interjected.
"Or they know something we don't." Deirdre muttered.

"I've heard words that probe teams have infiltrated your ranks"

Deirdre knew he would find out, she wasn't surprised. She let embassies from all factions in Dreams of Green to provide a real City of the Planet. However that left her more venerable to probes, but immigrants from all over planet found peace in her cities.

"Apparently." She stared at the door that Morgan walked into, knowing he was up to something. Yang handed her a small PDA.

"I have had a similar issue. I have leads."

Deirdre and Zakharov stared at Yang in confusion. Yang never helped, so why now?

"We can trade information, it will cost you. Yang Mine- 3 days."

Deirdre pointed to Zakharov. Gesturing if he was to pop along.

"He has the Algorithm, he may be of some use. There is no need to relay the same information twice."