"Tritons were flown by 1^st Fleet," Barrett said. "But the last of them were decommissioned right after the end of the Phage War."

"And these were probably pulled out of a Britannia boneyard," Jackson said. "So, this is definitely part of Kohl's plan."

"The ESA will know the Federation doesn't fly this vintage of ship anymore, sir," Barrett argued.

"But what's more likely if you're on the planet watching a bunch of 1^st Fleet antiques come through a jump point? That some cabal within your own government stole them and brought them here, or that the Federation, in desperation at their lack of numbers, reactivated them and sent them here?" Jackson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, the real question is this…are they really here to execute an attack, or are they cannon fodder to tie up the home defense fleet and position them where Kohl wants them?"

"Captain Risher is asking for updated orders, Admiral," the com officer said from the back of the bridge.

"Tell the taskforce to stand fast," Jackson said. "Inform Captain Risher that when I want a change in posture or position, he'll certainly be the first to know."

"Aye, sir," he said with a slight smile as he pulled his headset back up.

"I think these new ships are making him nervous," Barrett said quietly. "It's a big unknown and a strategy I'm not sure we yet understand. I've been around Risher enough to know he'd rather be the one dictating the terms of an engagement rather than sitting back and letting the enemy make the first moves."

"That sort of aggression has its place," Jackson said. "This is not one of them. That fleet can be anything from a red herring to a disguised modern taskforce. Until we know who and what they are, we sit tight."

"No argument here, Admiral."

* * *

Vadim Kohl smiled as he thought of the chaos his little surprise was causing aboard Black Rock Station, the orbital facility over Xinjia that served as the current Alliance Fleet HQ.

The ships had been stolen from a Starfleet decommissioning depot deep in Britannia space for a different purpose but were now doing a fantastic job of stirring up fear and confusion. The dozen old destroyers hadn't even really been stolen, per se. The government of Britannia had taken a hefty bribe to allow the Alliance to take them under the guise of needing hulls to replenish their local patrol forces. The ships were moved to Kohl's secret base, where they sat for a few years, waiting to be repurposed. When their original mission was scrapped, Kohl had come up with a new tasking.

"All decoy ships are reporting main engine start and are navigating under their own power, Admiral."

"Excellent," Kohl said. "Send them down and standby to initiate system-wide broadcast."

On Kohl's display, he could see the twelve 1^st Fleet destroyers powering their way down the well, their enormous plasma engines lighting up the thermal sensors in a way rarely seen anymore since the advent of RDS engines. There was no way the defending ships down there would miss the light show, and it should help mask the approach of his real force.