A plan based on deception

"The goal is to make them think that you are the scouting party preceding the main combat jump. Can you really boost transponder signals that well for the LACs?" Katla asked.

"Yes. We'll have to attach some decoy buoys to the top to provide the extra signal strength but they should last long enough to fool the IAA." Isabella explained. Which made sense. A transponder could say whatever it wanted but if the signal was weak it would be considered an obvious feint. The decoy buoys, made to attract missiles to go off target would provide exactly that.

"Good, just remember that we aren't expecting you to fight the entire enemy fleet. If they don't break off their burn towards you by..." Katla did some quick calculations before highlighting a spot. "Here, then fall back. At that point they'll pretty much have made themselves irrelevant."

"What about if they split?" Rebecca asked.