Escort ships are game cards that you can connect to your game when launching. If you do so, an option to Activate Escorts will be displayed in your cockpit.

Escorts are military ships that help the Starfleet Ships so that you have more time to evacuate. Four escorts (Starsystem Garrison, Longsword Squadron, Cruiser Task Force and Sabre Regiment) are available in booster packs. Two escorts (Ionguard Defense Fleet and Vega Elite Squadron) were sold in special individual packs until shortly after the initial booster opening. All are described in more detail here.

Escorts have a number of great features

• Repeatable Evacuation: At the end of your Evacuation, all escort cards are retrieved (they don't stay connected to your game).
• Low cooldown if not used: They will receive a cooldown. This cooldown is extremely low if you did not activate them (just a few minutes).
• More cooldown if damaged: This cooldown gets longer depending on the number of destroyed ships in your escort squadron.

After this cooldown, the Escort will be usable again for another Evacuation!

When you activate your escorts, they will warp in within seconds and join Starfleet. Note that while there are many different ships composing Starfleet, they must use an emergency warp mode to get to the station in time and only some ships make it. All current Starfleet which can help you is detailed here.

Escorts will

• add to Starfleet strength. This score is compared with Alien forces and reduces chances of being overwhelmed.
• add to Intercept chances. Every second, aliens can fire at you and the fleet total intercept chances is tested first. This score can get to 100%. If the intercept roll succeeds, then the hit is canceled.

Ships destroyed: Aliens receive almost no casualties, but deal a lot of damage to Starfleet. Every ship destroyed no longer contributes its Strength and Intercept chances.

Overwhelmed: Once alien forces exceed Starfleet strength, the maximal intercept chances are reduced. this is the overwhelmed status.

Last sacrifice: Also, once alien forces exceed Starfleet by several times its strength, the maximal intercept chances are further reduced; this means the defense line is breaking, and Starfleet is doing its best but can longer intercept the attacks.