"Provost, we have an incoming transmission from Lady Deirdre."

Zakharov nodded. "Patch it to here."

The Gaian leader's face appeared in the monitor of the control room. Her surroundings proved that she was on a boat, most likely among the Gaian navy. She expects to win so much she's willing to ride among the front line to witness our fall. Mistake number 1.

"Ah, Governor Deirdre! To what do I owe this honor?"

The girl scoffed at the statement. "Spare me your sarcasm, Zakharov. I've come to offer you life instead of death."

Zakharov raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That'll be the day. Where were you to offer this when the sixty thousand citizens of University Base were eaten inside-out by your mindworms? Or for those who had even the possibility of surviving, destroyed with the bases obliteration?"

She ignored him. "Instead of perishing along with your final base, you may be brought alive back to Gaia's Landing."

Zakharov laughed aloud. "And spend the next century or two locked into your punishment sphere? No thank you. I'd rather die."

Deirdre raised an eyebrow. "Be careful what you wish for. I've seen the schematics of Deep Sea Lab. Do you really believe that your pitiful base can withstand the might of Gaian Chaos cruisers?"

"Apparently, Deirdre, we'll just have to see, won't we?" He nodded to a cadet, who cut off the transmission.

"Cadet, how soon before the entire Gaian navy arrives within striking distance?"

The boy looked at him solemnly. "Fifteen minutes, sir. The smaller scout that struck us earlier already rejoined with their collective."

Zakharov nodded. "I'll be in my study."

The young man stood up and faced him. "Provost, I must object. Your people need to see you at this time."

"My people also need to survive. I'll be back soon. Don't begin unless they strike or I return."

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The first of the Gaian cruisers came to a halt about a mile away from Deep Sea Lab. The Gaian navy was quite sizable, although only half the size of their air force and ground troops, which is why air raids were more effective. However, Deep Sea Lab was too far from land to mobilize an air attack. Thus, cruisers had to be included among the navy's ranks, and they held just a fraction of the Gaian's countless planes.

Once all the cruisers were in place, the order was given to open fire.

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Zakharov shut down his monitor and walked out into the control room. He smiled as he took his seat. The room was tense with fear and anger, but also a little twinge of irony. "Begin phase one on my mark. Active satellite one and show it on view screen."

The Gaian navy photos disappeared and a tiny base in the water replaced it. Surrounding it was the collective mass of Gaian cruisers and foils. This isn't going to be pretty. "…mark!"

On the view screen, tiny specks began to emerge from the base. The Gaian's showed no reaction. The tiny specks began to blend together and form a mass, a giant mass flowing from its ports. Zakharov smiled with pride. Before he'd destroyed the datalinks, he'd had the potential to build even greater ships then Deirdre, but not the money. Fortunately (with some help from Yang), he'd gotten a formidable amount of obsolete weapons, mainly machine guns from the first available models on planet. Against any other army, this would be sending them into a suicide mission.

Deirdre, however, had shown from day one that her army would be entirely on the offense. Her first assault force was made up of Chaos weapons…and no armor. Whatsoever. Zakharov's own planes had the same characteristic; except for one thing…he could pump out thirty ships a month, leaving an overwhelming air advantage. Even machine guns ripped into vehicles that had no armor.

As Zakharov had hoped, the cruisers turned their weapons away from the base and into the skies, aiming frantically at the nimble little fighters. It was little use…the planes converged on cruiser after cruiser, and one by one her navy began to sink.

"Provost, we're receiving incoming comm. from Lady Deirdre."

"Ignore it, Cadet."

"It's too late, sir, she's hacked onto our main scree-"

The battlefield disappeared and Deirdre's face appeared before them. She looked so calm.

Zakharov turned to the cadet next to him. "Begin phase two on my mark." He then turned to the screen. "Why hello, Deirdre. Back so soon?"

"Order your fighters away or we'll turn on the base."

Zakharov chuckled. "I had thought you were going to turn on the base in the first place. You want me to call my planes back and let them wait to be destroyed? I think your logic is flawed, Lady Deirdre."

Her face grew colder. "Last chance, Zakharov. I will spare you, if you just wish it to be so."

"If my base is destroyed, my faction is destroyed, and I am destroyed. I'd have it no other way. Now get off of my view screen."

Deirdre shrugged and the picture returned to the battlefield. The cruisers began to realign themselves, ignoring the attack planes that hounded at them. They'd already sunk many ships, but there were still plenty of them left with enough power to overtake the base. On the battle screen, the planes all began to return to base. Zakharov sat coolly at his chair.

"Steady, cadet. Steady…" The boy in front of him nodded slowly as power began to surge into the cruisers chaos guns. When they all had power running in to them, they then had the potential to strike. Zakharov acted.

"Mark!" Zakharov yelled.

The cadet's fingers flew across his board. Satellite images of the battlefield showed the results of Phase two. Deep Sea Lab exploded in flash of white, and then dimmed immediately. A red glow emanated from the base and began to increase outward. The red was like a plague as it traveled, reaching the first boats in seconds. The charged Chaos guns shut down, as did the lights on their deck. The motors screeched to a grinding halt. The same happened with every ship the glow met.

Zakharov sighed in his chair. EMP pulse…shuts down all electronic devices. When will Deirdre learn?

"Begin Phase three, cadet."

Over the speakers in the control center, however, a familiar voice broke through the tense room.

"Zakharov, your study, your monitor. Now."

He smiled as he walked in the study and saw Deirdre looking at him from his monitor, fuming.

"Such atrocities will not go unpunished, Zakharov."

He feigned looking hurt by the comment. "Atrocity? Me? For disabling your little toys? You hurt me, Deirdre."

"You think that will stop us? We can repair our ships."

"I'd get to an escape pod as soon as possible, Deirdre. It isn't going to be pretty out there very soon."

She smiled. "You don't scare me. What, with your little planes? Cruisers are already on their way carrying masses of planes. Your base will be fire fodder."

Zakharov shrugged. "You're bluffing. A two-mile radius of static has been enacted around this base. No radio or communication of any sort, besides within the containment field, my base."

Deirdre raised an eyebrow. "You're cunning, Zakharov. Very cunning."

He smiled. "The village eventually learns to make spears after being attacked by tigers so many times."

He then pushed his monitor off of his desk, not recoiling as it shattered against the ground. He learned back in his chair and smiled. May not hold them off for long, just long enough to get my people out of here. Yangs…please hurry.

~