"Oh, Prokhor, you can't imagine how good it feels to be connected to the Datalinks again!" Shila exclaimed, happy as a clam.

Zakharov looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  "It doesn't feel odd that you're in the Hive database rather then the University?"

The girl shrugged.  "It's different, to say the least, but it's so much better then that cramped little Datapod.  Now I have access to all of our information and technology whenever I want!"  Shila did a little hyper dance around the room.  Zakharov could only smile.

The two were sitting in the VIP quarters of The Hive, which was to become their home.  Yang had empowered him to nearly the point of co-faction leader, except for several key functions such as base operations.  Basically, Zakharov had the power to develop and use Hive/University technology in any purpose he needed.  He smiled as he thought of the one purpose that drove him, at this point.

He'd been shown the pictures of the late University Base.  The once proud city, inhabited by sixty-thousand citizens and personnel, was now barren ruins.  From the Arial pictures you could make out where several of the buildings where, before they were razed.  The peak of technology-driven scientists once stood in that spot, and now they were gone forever in a black streak of war.

Zakharov really only had two things left to do before he could consider returning to the world scene with his faction.  One was to cripple the Gaians in such a manner that she would never harm either the University or the Hive ever again.  The second was to bring back his citizens from underneath Planet's waters and reinstate them into a proper University colony.

As for Ground Level Sea Base, he'd finally gotten a secure connection with the new governor of the base.  His name was Samuel Edin, an American who'd been Assistant to the governor in Deep Sea Lab ever since the base had been created.  However, the previous governor had been on a diplomatic trip to Bibliotyek Science right before the base had fallen to the Gaians.  He was presumed to be assimilated into the citizen population, captured, or worse. 

Samuel Edin, however, was a very bright young man.  Ground Level Sea Base was his brainchild from the first days of Deirdre's invasion.  An attack by sea would be deadly against the laboratory, unless they had an escape route which was invisible to the eyes of those attacking from above.  It was his genius which saved the people of Deep Sea Lab, which is yet another reason why Zakharov had appointed him Governor.  Zakharov turned to Shila.

"Shila, find an appropriate channel for the comm. link 76.88.94.  I want to talk to our little incognito base."

She nodded and pushed the numbers into the monitor.  The screen changed to show the picture of a young, trim man who looked in his late thirties.  The man had dark brown hair and blue eyes, and a somber face.  He looked up and smiled when he saw Zakharov.  "Provost…how is everything on the above world?"

Zakharov shrugged.  "Probably much more boring then your own underwater paradise, Samuel.  Are your people on strike to get back to the surface yet?"

The man chuckled.  "Are you kidding, Provost?  People love it here.  There's never any bad weather, and every window has a view to some sort of native sea life.  There's enough research to do here to last a hundred years."

Zakharov sighed.  "Hopefully it won't be that long, Samuel.  We will get our people back to the surface.  You, just keep them alive, because even if we are able to make a return to the Planet scene, it will be moot if we don't have enough citizens to fill an entire base."

Samuel smiled and nodded.  "Will do, Zakharov.  I'd better go, good luck up there, and don't be a stranger."

The connection was severed and Zakharov slowly walked to his window.  It was so odd, being a citizen rather then a leader, but to bring his people back from the dead, he'd have to do so to survive.

Someday, University bases will once again rise on Planet…I vow to it.

~