The sunset over Gaia's Landing was stupendous. The crystal domes, and light, willowy bronze towers reflected the slightly pink shades into the cloudy sky. Deirdre stood on the balcony of her tower, breathing in the delicate scents of roses and xenofungus. Light musical cries of tropical birds echoed through the sky, and she smiled. It was good to be back.

Three years after the capture of Bunker 118, and the war was still continuing. The other factions had been stopped short by Santiago, and were now hard pushed to challenge any of her bases with enough force to matter.

Sparta Command and Freehold Keep remained strong, and Hale had not been heard of for a year. His last report had been bleak, of agents compromised, and infiltration in her shadow network.

Deirdre was fearful that Santiago, having forced a stalemate, would now begin to persuade other faction leaders to her ideals. Already, Yang had signed a Blood Truce, which left Santiago's north front clear of enemies.

It was only here; at Gaia's Landing that she could get any peace. A huge city, Gaia's Landing occupied thirty miles of an island. Constant trading with Lal and Zakharov had allowed superior climatic replicates to be provided, and as such, the Centauri preserves now had an example of every type of climate on Earth.

The North Pole; the Amazon; the Alps and even Scotland, with the deep glens and cool, misty valleys. Every country's beauty was represented in a dome, and to stride in that district, staring in wonder at every animal and plant, living within his or her artificial worlds- that was what made Deirdre feel joy.

Another deep breath, and this time she turned to look at the slow movement of the river that flowed almost lazily through the centre of the island, and the centre of her city. The gentle, lulling gurgling of the river could soothe even the most troubled soul, for the music of nature was far more superior to anything a human could accomplish.

Over the river, balconies supported by strengthened glass column leaned, and the people of the city could watch the city pass by, continuing in its eternal course. It was when she stood here; in the centre of her city that Deirdre knew the true glory of everything she strode for.

The coppery coloured synthmetal towers of her city always made way for parks and groves. In every district, by the laws of Landing, it was required that a mile of parks be set aside. Not necessarily in one clump, and so it was the true, irregular beauty of her city was created.

The nature in her city was not kept behind bars. The vines would splay out across the towers, and the sweet-scented lilac roses would trail upwards on every tower and building. Sections of wild tropical rainforest trailed through the most built up areas of the city. All the colour, all the scents, it was as if heaven itself had come to reside on Earth.

Deirdre breathed out, and then turned away from her city, stepping quietly into her throne room. There, the disgruntled members of the Senate awaited her.



"Lady Deirdre, this war has gone on long enough, we of the Senate have come to demand that you sign a peace treaty with Santiago, for the good of our faction. Furthermore, we have decreed that your emergency powers are removed, for you have bungled this war beyond recognition."

Deirdre smiled sweetly. "So, the Senate wishes me to make peace with the enemy who destroyed New Glasgow. Have you all forgotten the horror of those weeks, when we were at the mercy of her power? If we sign a peace treaty, within a few years, she will have gained the power to threaten us once again. It is better to fight a war than to have a shattered peace a few years later."

Senator Abdim nodded. "Your wisdom does you credit, my lady. However, it does not disguise the fact that for years we have been laying siege to the heart of Santiago's power, without success. At the very least we can call off the attacks, until we have recovered enough to launch another invasion."

Deirdre raised her eyebrow. "You propose treachery then, Abdim?"

Abdim smiled. "I propose nothing. These questions of government will be brought before the Senate now. No longer shall you be the sole leader of our faction."

Deirdre let her face grow cold. "Senator. I am the founder of this faction, and I choose what direction it will take. The Senate is an advisory body which gives the people a method of government. You cannot strip me of my power."

Abdim nodded. "I thought as much, and so I have prepared a document. Every member of the Senate has decreed that the responsibility of government be passed to us. The unanimous vote of the Senate cannot be questioned."

Deirdre shook her head. "How many Senator voted, Abdim?"

Abdim grinned, content in his victory. "Thirty-three."

Deirdre licked her lips. Damn his clever hide. The Senate number fifty men and women. Thirty-three or more were required to sit to pass a piece of legislation. Abdim has defeated her through a technicality. Shaking her head, she stood.

"Then I bow to the wishes of the Senate."

The throne room gave way to a gradual ripple of urgent whispers. General Diehl, recalled from Freehold Keep spoke out. "My lady, no! This cannot be. The army supports you fully."

Deirdre answered. "I will not become a dictator, Diehl. The Senate has made their decision. Let them deal with the faction now. Believe me, Abdim, it is not as easy as it appears."

Then she left.



"He is a traitor, lady! He has been in the pay of Santiago since day one! You cannot allow this to happen. Speak out against it, and the people will support you."

Deirdre knew Abdim was a traitor, but he was too powerful for her to remove. If she took direct action against a member of the Senate, the others would grow worried, perhaps even taking action against her.

"I will wait, general. Eventually the Senate will see sense. They must."

Diehl sighed. "I will order the units in the city to prepare for battle. If you give the word, lady, my men will move against the upstart Spartan lackey."

Deirdre said. "Very well, but make no move against my orders. I do not want to escalate this into a full-blown war against the Senate. That, I will never condone."



The days passed, and the Senate oversaw the responsibilities of government. A motion was proposed in the Senate for an end to the war. Deirdre was thankful that enough loyal Senators remained to block that motion.

However, other pieces of legislation were allowed through, disguised as harmless precautions. Deirdre saw them for what they really were; invisible shackles ready to chain her people to the authority of Sparta.

People rallied in the streets, protesting against her removal. At first Deirdre had been pleased. At least some people cared enough about her to demonstrate against it. Now, however, the protests were disrupting the running of the city, and the Senate were ordering reluctant police units to quell the protests.

Deirdre looked at the newest protest with despair. The Gaians were meant to be a free people. Protests were a legitimate way of telling your leader you disapproved. Why were the Senate blundering so, to send police against them?

Twice yesterday, she had almost given the order for Diehl to act against Abdim. Only the memory of New Glasgow stopped her. Abdim had men who were loyal to him as well, and there was no way that Deirdre would endanger the city of dreams in battle.



More days passed, and the protests ended. The disgruntled Gaian populace returned to their homes. Deirdre remained away from her throne. Abdim was consolidating his power, bringing in more units from other cities.

How had it come to this?

Every day Diehl came to her, begging her to take action. Deirdre could not. If she acted, Gaia's Landing would become a hellish place. Anything was better than that, she convinced herself. Anything.

She did place her warriors in key positions, however, and Abdim was as powerless to stop her as she was to stop him. Though for different reasons. She did not want to risk the city; Abdim did not want to risk his head.



The weeks passed, and Deirdre grew more panicked. The city was silent, no longer full of the life it once contained. It seemed like a ghost city, empty and devoid of life. One evening, Deirdre looked out across the city, when she saw something moving in the distance, on the sea.

Diehl soon came for her with terrible news. Somehow, a Spartan army had broken through the lines, and was steaming for Gaia's Landing. Now, Deirdre had to act.