Feint

The Confederation, knowing full well that it's existence was on borrowed time from the Hegemony, began plotting a way to regain the upper hand and eventually end what it perceived as a counter-productive and ultimately destructive form of government.

The plan was disclosed only to a select few in the government, and only the very top admirals in the Black Fleet.

It was called simply, "Feint".

The plan called for the secret construction of a fifth colony ship using cost overruns and spare parts from the construction of the other four, to keep it hidden from auditors and the general population. Construction crews were comprised of a very small number of trusted persons, who were then carefully watched, to ensure they didn't disclose it's existence.

When the time came, and the wave of Hegemonic forces finally invaded, the fifth ship (known as the Sovereign) would assemble as many forces and civilian assets as it safely could, then depart known space and find a distant colony on which to begin again.

There, the Confederation can re-establish and allow humans to thrive in a democratic society until the Hegemony finally burned out and the Confederate forces would return to reclaim their colonies.

In overview the plan seemed simple. And yet in detail the devil comes out.

In order to assure the departure of the Sovereign, nearly a week would be needed to charge her massive Alter-space drive, and get her ready to depart.

This meant that the Grey and White fleets would be sacrificed in engagements only designed to buy time, not victory. This meant the lives of tens of thousands of naval personnel would be forfeited.

Billions of citizens would be abandoned to the Hegemony, while an elite few escaped. This was bound to generate a lot of hatred in those left behind. When the Confederate forces returned, would they be welcomed or destroyed outright? And in the stalling actions of the fleet, would Hegemonic forces take their revenge out on the civilians?

Ultimately, the Hegemony would learn of the Sovereign and attempt to follow her and report back to their fleet who would chase them down. How would this be prevented?

Difficult as these questions were, the plan was implemented and laid out in greater detail over the years. Key civilians were secretly handled and influenced to live on colonies close to the Sovereigns hiding position. Officer's were promoted and stationed in locations favorable to the plan. Many mid-level and even some high level government officials became liabilities to the plan and swift and horrible action was taken to ensure Feint wasn't compromised.

Finally, after nearly 23 years of planning and scheming, the day came when the call had to be made, and Feint became a reality.