“They’re aliens, Captain,” Pitt said. “It’s a damn miracle they can talk to us at all, as our recent interactions with the Ushin prove. Let’s not throw away a solid theory based on the wording of a message transmitted by another species.”

“Did all this intel come from the Ushin?” Celesta asked.

“Most of it,” Marcum said evasively. “We’ve been developing other channels of information in parallel. But for now I think that about wraps this up … everyone but Captain Wright is dismissed. Don’t leave the station, though. We have a lot to do before we respond to the attacks on our ships and people. Get out of here. That includes you, Admiral Pitt.”

Once everyone had filed out and the door clanged shut again, Marcum leaned back in his seat.

“Now to discuss what I called you in here for in the first place,” he said.

Celesta had fully expected this. Her abysmal performance in the Xi’an System had to be addressed. She fully expected to be knocked back down a rank from senior captain and it was entirely likely she’d lose the Icarus.

“I want you on a Dreadnought,” Marcum said.

“Am I to serve aboard the Amsterdam, Admiral?”

“What? No, I’m not replacing Captain Everett nor am I demoting you, Celesta,” Marcum said. “Yes, you could have performed better as taskforce commander, but you could also have done a hell of a lot worse. We’ll debrief you fully on that later, but the important thing is that you’ve again showed that killer instinct I remember and love so well from the war. I want to put you on the bridge of a boomer and the New York is in need of a competent CO if we’re heading back into a fight.”

“I’m not sure what to say, Admiral.” Celesta was stunned. Commanding a battleship was what every warship captain aspired to whether they admitted it or not. The New York was one of the new Dreadnought-class ships that were of the same generation as her own Starwolf-class destroyer. Her face twitched as she momentarily thought of her ship.

“What would happen to the Icarus?”

“It will be captained by an officer of appropriate rank and experience,” Marcum said coolly. “I know she’s your first command, Celesta, but that ship belongs to the Terran Federation. It’ll be up to CENTCOM as to whose ass goes in the seat; more specifically it’ll be up to me. While I’m open to suggestions, I don’t want to give the impression that you have any sway once you’re out of Ninth Squadron.”

“That’s not what I meant, sir,” Celesta said hurriedly. “What I meant to say was is this a mandatory transfer?”