"It has been brought to my attention recently that large Spartan forces
are marching across the land bridge between my city of New Glasgow, and her
Bunker 118. I would ask the council to discern the purpose of these forces,
and to caution Santiago against such an action, as I pose no threat to her
whatsoever."
Deirdre of the Gaians sat, having finished speaking, and watched as the room erupted into chaos. She was shocked and appalled to see what the council had become, a fairground for the jealousies and hatreds of the seven factions. It was no longer a representation of what the people of Planet wanted, and had ceased to be that for many years. Even when she had been speaking, she had noted the way Morgan glanced at Santiago, silently offering her support. The intrigues within the council were enough to make her scream.
Only Lal, the leader of the Peacekeepers felt the same way, and he was in a precarious position, attempting to assuage Miriam's tendency to raiding his settlements for energy credits, in her sporadic crusades that her minions indulged in at other peoples expense.
"Lady Deirdre, I assure you, everything that can be done by this council is being undertaken. Santiago has assured me that nothing untoward is happening, it is a routine scouting mission."
Lal seemed almost guilty, and, as he sat, he seemed to fidget uncomfortably. Deirdre sighed, and shook her head. She held up a small vid- screen, which she passed around the council. It showed the troops of Santiago, lining up not sixty miles from New Glasgow. Behind the lines, their aircraft were landing. The overwhelming forces arrayed against her pushed Deirdre into anger. She shouted at the mute leaders in the room:
"When we travelled in the Unity, we had a distinct mission. This was to be the new settlement for humankind, the last hope and bastion of our race. I see I, at least, was mistaken. I say that the Council has failed, and that Santiago is planning a brutal attack on my base, it is evident, surely you can all see that?"
Zakharov nodded. "Council members, this is a clear move of aggression against Lady Deirdre, and I must ask that we forbid Santiago a vendetta with the Gaians."
Santiago laughed. "You believe these two, council members? A tree-loving democrat, and a high-handed scientist? I stress once again that my forces are there merely for a scouting mission."
Lal closed his eyes, obviously torn. When he looked at her, his eyes spoke volumes. He was trapped. There was no way he was going to put himself on the line, and Deirdre cursed him for a coward.
"Forgive me, my lady, but Santiago is right. This is clearly no threat to you or yours."
Deirdre stood, her lip curled. "Then I was right. The Council has failed. I bid you goodbye. I resign. Find some other fool to manipulate as you will, I will not sit here and talk while this creature plots havoc upon my people. Good day."
She whirled around, and left the Council chambers. As she left, she met the eyes of Zakharov. He nodded grimly. Lal too caught her eyes, and once again offered a silent apology. The council made her sick.
When she reached Gaia's Landing by shuttle three hours later, she headed straight to the control room, where it seemed that chaos ruled. Hundreds of aides were running back and forth, and generals by the tens were talking loudly.
"Report, general. How far our her forces from New Glasgow?"
Her voice cut across the tempest, and the room fell silent.
Holding New Glasgow was vital. It controlled the traffic across the land bridge. If Santiago occupied the city, there would be no way to stop her armies from subjugating the rest of the continent, and the Gaian faction with it. Deirdre whispered fervent thanks that Gaia's Landing, the centre of her faction was a good three hundred miles from the land bridge. In fact, it was a good three hundred miles from anywhere, located as it was on a small island away from the mainland. Her capital would be the final city to fall, if it came to that, and for that she was glad. However, the continued survival of her faction was fixed on this one base.
General Marco sighed. "Lady Deirdre, they now approach the edges of our territory. What shall we do? Our air force is stationed in New Glasgow, and our navy sails along the coast to protect our western flank. Shall I commit our army to battle?"
Deirdre shook her head. We will allow her to cross the borders. We will stop her in the Xenofungus Plains. Our my mindworms ready? Our survival depends upon them."
Marco nodded, his hands smoothing his greying bread. "Yes, my lady. We have dug trenches behind the plains. If we cannot stop her at the plains, we will try to stop her at the trenches."
Deirdre nodded. "Good. Have we any troops left in reserve?"
Marco smiled. "The troops in High Garden are entering their shuttles as we speak. They will arrive in a few hours. Other cities have pledged at least two thousand troops each to the war effort. It will take at least a few weeks to mobilise the troops, but when they are, they can be placed at New Glasgow with relative ease. If Santiago can be stopped, my lady. She will be."
Deirdre sat down at her seat, and massaged her forehead with her left hand. Biting her lip for a moment, she spoke:
"I want all our aircraft at New Glasgow. Air supremacy is vital. Are the new models complete, Marco?"
Her general sighed. "Yes my lady. All new aircraft have been equipped with the singularity laser and a tachyon field. In the air, we can defeat Santiago, though on land she has many more troops than us, and they are much more well-equipped than our own."
Deirdre laughed. "Can her troops defeat our mindworms? I think not. Santiago has never bothered to research the trance technology, and that is the only thing that could stop the demon boils we have bred."
Marco shrugged. "Nevertheless, it would not do to be complacent, my lady." Deirdre raised an eyebrow. "Complacent, Marco? I think not. The mindworms will defeat her, surely. However, unlike us, she can afford a war. Whether or not we fight her back, there is no way we can regain the energy credits."
Lindly was surprised to see Deirdre enter her chambers. Having been stationed at New Glasgow three years ago, she had missed her old mentor's presence. She bowed to her leader, and then kissed her hand.
"My lady, what a pleasant surprise."
Deirdre waved her hand.
"We have no time for any formality, Lindly. Are the demon boils ready?"
Lindly tapped her fingers against the wall for a moment, and then replied. "Yes, my lady. They are. All our talents who can control them are in the Plains right this instant. Colonel Santiago's troops approach. We should have them on the screen soon, my lady."
Deirdre gestured. "Lindly, you will join me in the command room. I have only just arrived from Gaia's Landing by shuttle, and I needed to find you. Meet me there in half-an-hour. I must address my troops."
Lady Deirdre of the Gaians stood before the assembled ranks of her militia. Her people were not warriors; they were empaths and biologists, doctors and scientists. Santiago was ruining everything, curse the woman.
"My people! Today to go to do battle with the Spartans. I will not lie to you. The battle will be hard, and we could lose. Keep this in your hearts when you fight though. Her faction has no love for the beauty of Planet, no time for the environment. With her hand on the reins, this planet will suffer the same fate as Earth in a hundred years. Look around, Gaians! Look at the beauty, and the majesty of nature. We are the only faction that has managed to tame nature, and look at the results!"
Her hand flung behind her to gesture at the centauri preserves common in every Gaian city. Within the crystal domes, earth plants and those native to planet cohabited and thrived. Every Gaian would feel pride when looking at those, for they stood for everything which they believed in.
"You will fight today, and you will remember the beauty of Planet. You will remember that all living things are in peril now, not just us. Fight for our freedom, yes, but fight for Planet also! Go forward, my Gaians, and let us teach Santiago that we are no English Trifle!"
The armies erupted into cheers and laughter. To a man, they began entering the shuttles, which rose into the air, before heading in the direction of the Plains. There, Deirdre knew, the fate of her faction was waiting to be decided.
Deirdre of the Gaians sat, having finished speaking, and watched as the room erupted into chaos. She was shocked and appalled to see what the council had become, a fairground for the jealousies and hatreds of the seven factions. It was no longer a representation of what the people of Planet wanted, and had ceased to be that for many years. Even when she had been speaking, she had noted the way Morgan glanced at Santiago, silently offering her support. The intrigues within the council were enough to make her scream.
Only Lal, the leader of the Peacekeepers felt the same way, and he was in a precarious position, attempting to assuage Miriam's tendency to raiding his settlements for energy credits, in her sporadic crusades that her minions indulged in at other peoples expense.
"Lady Deirdre, I assure you, everything that can be done by this council is being undertaken. Santiago has assured me that nothing untoward is happening, it is a routine scouting mission."
Lal seemed almost guilty, and, as he sat, he seemed to fidget uncomfortably. Deirdre sighed, and shook her head. She held up a small vid- screen, which she passed around the council. It showed the troops of Santiago, lining up not sixty miles from New Glasgow. Behind the lines, their aircraft were landing. The overwhelming forces arrayed against her pushed Deirdre into anger. She shouted at the mute leaders in the room:
"When we travelled in the Unity, we had a distinct mission. This was to be the new settlement for humankind, the last hope and bastion of our race. I see I, at least, was mistaken. I say that the Council has failed, and that Santiago is planning a brutal attack on my base, it is evident, surely you can all see that?"
Zakharov nodded. "Council members, this is a clear move of aggression against Lady Deirdre, and I must ask that we forbid Santiago a vendetta with the Gaians."
Santiago laughed. "You believe these two, council members? A tree-loving democrat, and a high-handed scientist? I stress once again that my forces are there merely for a scouting mission."
Lal closed his eyes, obviously torn. When he looked at her, his eyes spoke volumes. He was trapped. There was no way he was going to put himself on the line, and Deirdre cursed him for a coward.
"Forgive me, my lady, but Santiago is right. This is clearly no threat to you or yours."
Deirdre stood, her lip curled. "Then I was right. The Council has failed. I bid you goodbye. I resign. Find some other fool to manipulate as you will, I will not sit here and talk while this creature plots havoc upon my people. Good day."
She whirled around, and left the Council chambers. As she left, she met the eyes of Zakharov. He nodded grimly. Lal too caught her eyes, and once again offered a silent apology. The council made her sick.
When she reached Gaia's Landing by shuttle three hours later, she headed straight to the control room, where it seemed that chaos ruled. Hundreds of aides were running back and forth, and generals by the tens were talking loudly.
"Report, general. How far our her forces from New Glasgow?"
Her voice cut across the tempest, and the room fell silent.
Holding New Glasgow was vital. It controlled the traffic across the land bridge. If Santiago occupied the city, there would be no way to stop her armies from subjugating the rest of the continent, and the Gaian faction with it. Deirdre whispered fervent thanks that Gaia's Landing, the centre of her faction was a good three hundred miles from the land bridge. In fact, it was a good three hundred miles from anywhere, located as it was on a small island away from the mainland. Her capital would be the final city to fall, if it came to that, and for that she was glad. However, the continued survival of her faction was fixed on this one base.
General Marco sighed. "Lady Deirdre, they now approach the edges of our territory. What shall we do? Our air force is stationed in New Glasgow, and our navy sails along the coast to protect our western flank. Shall I commit our army to battle?"
Deirdre shook her head. We will allow her to cross the borders. We will stop her in the Xenofungus Plains. Our my mindworms ready? Our survival depends upon them."
Marco nodded, his hands smoothing his greying bread. "Yes, my lady. We have dug trenches behind the plains. If we cannot stop her at the plains, we will try to stop her at the trenches."
Deirdre nodded. "Good. Have we any troops left in reserve?"
Marco smiled. "The troops in High Garden are entering their shuttles as we speak. They will arrive in a few hours. Other cities have pledged at least two thousand troops each to the war effort. It will take at least a few weeks to mobilise the troops, but when they are, they can be placed at New Glasgow with relative ease. If Santiago can be stopped, my lady. She will be."
Deirdre sat down at her seat, and massaged her forehead with her left hand. Biting her lip for a moment, she spoke:
"I want all our aircraft at New Glasgow. Air supremacy is vital. Are the new models complete, Marco?"
Her general sighed. "Yes my lady. All new aircraft have been equipped with the singularity laser and a tachyon field. In the air, we can defeat Santiago, though on land she has many more troops than us, and they are much more well-equipped than our own."
Deirdre laughed. "Can her troops defeat our mindworms? I think not. Santiago has never bothered to research the trance technology, and that is the only thing that could stop the demon boils we have bred."
Marco shrugged. "Nevertheless, it would not do to be complacent, my lady." Deirdre raised an eyebrow. "Complacent, Marco? I think not. The mindworms will defeat her, surely. However, unlike us, she can afford a war. Whether or not we fight her back, there is no way we can regain the energy credits."
Lindly was surprised to see Deirdre enter her chambers. Having been stationed at New Glasgow three years ago, she had missed her old mentor's presence. She bowed to her leader, and then kissed her hand.
"My lady, what a pleasant surprise."
Deirdre waved her hand.
"We have no time for any formality, Lindly. Are the demon boils ready?"
Lindly tapped her fingers against the wall for a moment, and then replied. "Yes, my lady. They are. All our talents who can control them are in the Plains right this instant. Colonel Santiago's troops approach. We should have them on the screen soon, my lady."
Deirdre gestured. "Lindly, you will join me in the command room. I have only just arrived from Gaia's Landing by shuttle, and I needed to find you. Meet me there in half-an-hour. I must address my troops."
Lady Deirdre of the Gaians stood before the assembled ranks of her militia. Her people were not warriors; they were empaths and biologists, doctors and scientists. Santiago was ruining everything, curse the woman.
"My people! Today to go to do battle with the Spartans. I will not lie to you. The battle will be hard, and we could lose. Keep this in your hearts when you fight though. Her faction has no love for the beauty of Planet, no time for the environment. With her hand on the reins, this planet will suffer the same fate as Earth in a hundred years. Look around, Gaians! Look at the beauty, and the majesty of nature. We are the only faction that has managed to tame nature, and look at the results!"
Her hand flung behind her to gesture at the centauri preserves common in every Gaian city. Within the crystal domes, earth plants and those native to planet cohabited and thrived. Every Gaian would feel pride when looking at those, for they stood for everything which they believed in.
"You will fight today, and you will remember the beauty of Planet. You will remember that all living things are in peril now, not just us. Fight for our freedom, yes, but fight for Planet also! Go forward, my Gaians, and let us teach Santiago that we are no English Trifle!"
The armies erupted into cheers and laughter. To a man, they began entering the shuttles, which rose into the air, before heading in the direction of the Plains. There, Deirdre knew, the fate of her faction was waiting to be decided.
