“The Fourth Fleet destroyers are almost to the jump point, ma’am,” Accari said. “They’d not been accelerating long before you called for a general withdrawal. Projected data says that they’ll transition out in six hours; we’ll know another four and half hours after that with the com lag.”

“Understood,” Celesta said. “Have Engineering begin prepping the warp drive, but leave the emitters stowed for now.”

“Aye, ma’am.”

“Incoming message from Admiral Wilton again, ma’am,” Ellison said. “This one is classified for your eyes only.”

“I’ll be in my office.” Celesta stood. “XO has the bridge.”

“I have the bridge, aye,” Barrett said.

Ellison had the message waiting in her buffer by the time she’d sat at her desk and logged into the terminal. She was perched on the edge of her seat, completely uncomfortable with being off the bridge while there was so much happening that was unknown.

“Captain Wright … it looks like we’ve been screwed by our new allies,” Admiral Wilton began bluntly. “We came about as soon as we got your withdrawal order; apparently my own intel analysts aboard the New York weren’t as quick to realize what such an easy victory meant.

“There are some things you need to know in case we don’t make it out of this system. I have no doubt the Ushin and the Darshik see where we’re heading and have some other nasty surprise waiting for us. This was passed on to me by Admiral Marcum himself, and if the New York doesn’t make it I have to be sure someone is able to know the real reason we’re out here … and it sure as hell isn’t some damn noble pursuit like throwing off the shackles of the oppressors. I have faith that out of any of us you’ll be the one to get your ship safely home.”

Over the next half an hour the admiral plainly laid out the deal the Federation had made with the Ushin. When he’d finished, and she realized what it was they were fighting for, she went through a whole range of emotions. At first she was indifferent; militaries had always been the muscle that backed up political decisions, and fighting to free someone while being guaranteed something in return wasn’t exactly the worst thing a government had ever done.