"Not good news," Celesta said. "Do we have any idea what they have in mind from an operational standpoint. Knowing their political goals is all well and good, but what would be more immediately useful is how they intend to accomplish them."

"This is where it gets…interesting," Pike said. "So after Vadim Kohl wiped out our Mickey crews being trained on Brabus, he was on his way to B-1171 to confront Wolfe. Apparently, this is a personal obsession of his and not a strategic goal of the cabal. He was pulled off and had his taskforce re-routed to Xinjia, the Alliance capital world."

"As a defensive measure?" Jackson asked.

"Nope," Pike said. "He's going to attack their capital before the main attack into Federation space. They have positioned six squadrons throughout our territory while using the ESA fleet to create a diversion along the border region, saber rattling to get CENTCOM to respond by matching force. It looks like their plan is to hit Xinjia, blame the Federation, attack with the units along the border to get CENTCOM moving our forces where they want, and then strike targets left under-defended like New Sierra."

"So, our intel on a strike against the capital wasn't wrong, it just lacked all the details," Jackson said. "Marcum will be happy to know you weren't evacuated for nothing."

"Where are you now, Wolfe?" Pitt asked.

"In warp fight, on the way to the Arelius System," Jackson said. "We're dropping off the Bluebird personnel and material. You have a mission change for me?"

"Actually, this won't even change your orders," Pitt said. "I want you to take your taskforce to Xinjia and stop Kohl."

"Sir, you want me to fly six Fed warships into the capital system of the Alliance as we're on the brink of war?" Jackson asked.

"Six?"

"The Nemesis has joined the taskforce temporarily. Barrett's orders were open-ended. In any case, wouldn't we be of better use defending New Sierra, sir?"

"That's the obvious answer, yes," Pitt said. "But a preemptive strike against Kohl before he can hit Xinjia would cut off the support this cabal needs to attack the Federation in the first place. Do I have that right, Pike?"

"That would be my assessment as well, Admiral," Pike said. "The attacks would be coordinated to happen almost simultaneously, but the messages clearly state Kohl will need to neutralize Xinjia first. We're not sure what, if any, defenses the planet itself might have. The old Asianic Union didn't really fortify their worlds the way the Warsaw Alliance did."

"Wait a minute," Jillian broke in. "We're on the eve of all-out war, and you want to send the Federation's most potent weapon to defend the enemy's capital?!"

"Taskforce Wolfpack isn't part of CENTCOM," Pitt said. "Wolfe doesn't even report to the normal chain of command and, technically, he's commanding a group of highly illegal, undeclared warships that aren't flying under any flag. I know those are technicalities, Mrs. Wolfe, but they're the type of legal details that let me use that taskforce to do something I would never be able to order a regular Fleet unit to do."