"I'm not arguing with you, sir. Just telling you how it is."

"Admiral Wolfe is still here," Captain Risher said. "Having him lead the counterattack could help bring those units back."

"This will be more of a guerrilla resistance than a counterattack, but I get your point, Captain," Pitt said.

The small flotilla sat in orbit over a planet that had been owned by the Tsuyo Corporation but had never been fully colonized. There was a small military base, a research lab, and, oddly enough, a resort. The planet's governor had welcomed them to stay as long as they liked but had refused to let any of them land on the surface.

Word had gotten out that the Federation's political power had been wiped out in a single strike by the ESA, and independent planets were scared. They didn't want to be seen taking one side over another.

The Coyote was docked on one side of the Broadsword, Celesta Wright's Prowler on the other, and all of the major players had met in the destroyer's observation lounge to discuss their next steps and hold a quiet memorial for the people they'd lost.

CIS Director Perez and CENTCOM Chief of Staff Pitt were also in attendance, having made the trip over in a small tender. They'd found out the Nemesis had made it out of the Xinjia System and made several stops before pressing on to her final destination, so they were holding up so they arrived there about the same time she did.

The mood in the lounge was grim. The food and booze the orderlies had laid out on a sidebar sat largely untouched, the only exception being Marcum swilling down Captain Risher's expensive scotch like a man hellbent on rendering himself as numb as possible, as quickly as possible.

"And we can trust this safe harbor?" Risher asked. "We're not being set up to deliver what remains of our leadership into enemy hands?"

"Wolfe negotiated the deal himself," Pike said. "And I can vouch for them. We'll be safe there."

"That settles it then," Admiral Pitt said, turning away from the window. "We go to Earth."

Epilogue

"Still feels strange being back, doesn't it?"

"Not so much," Jackson said. "We were back during the lull in the Phage War after those Vruhan ships showed up, if you remember."

"Yeah, but still," Pike said.

The pair sat in the Nemesis's lounge, staring down at Earth as the destroyer flew in a low equatorial orbit. To finalize their protection treaty, Geneva had requested Jackson himself be present to sign it. Jackson had not wanted to argue when Earth was, for the first time in centuries, taking a stand in the political arena regarding the enclaves.

He loaded up the dignitaries on the Nemesis and flew down to Earth from where the remnant of the Federation fleet mustered in orbit around Saturn. The ships had trickled in over the last couple of months, and word was still going out over Bluebird.