“That’s right,” Ziara said. She raised her voice. “All crew: Battle stations. Bridge, prepare to exit hyperspace.”

Ten seconds later, the sky changed, the star-flares collapsed, and they had arrived.

At the edge of a horrendous battle.

Ziara felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. Two Garwian patrol ships were standing gamely against three larger attackers, trying to keep them away from the big orbiting merchant-hub station. Nearby, a fourth attacker and a small freighter drifted together, wrapped in a lock-dock, the pirates presumably busily plundering their prey. A handful of other merchant ships were driving frantically for the safety of hyperspace.

“Security Officer Frangelic acknowledges our arrival,” the comm officer reported. “He requests assistance.”

Ziara sighed. But there was nothing for it. “Do not respond,” she ordered. “Repeat: Do not respond.”

“A pity,” Roscu commented, coming up behind Ziara and Thrawn. “There were a couple of nice cafés on that hub. May I remind the captain that there’s no reason for us to be here?”

“So noted,” Ziara said. “Run a check on the electrostatic barrier. I want to be ready in case we’re attacked.”

Roscu was silent a moment, just long enough to show her displeasure and suspicion, just short enough to avoid an insubordination charge. “Yes, Senior Captain,” she said. Turning away, she crossed to the defense station.

“She’s right,” Ziara said. “This is a military situation between two groups of aliens. Happens all the time out here. Nothing for us to get involved with.” She nodded toward the viewport. “As for your perceived threat, I’m not sure the attackers have even noticed us.”

“They’ve noticed,” Thrawn said. “Two of the three attackers have repositioned to allow for quick disengagement, and the freighter-locked one has begun a slow rotation to align his main batteries with us.” He shook his head slowly. “I can beat them, Ziara. I can take all four, right now, without any serious damage to the Parala.”

“Serious is a highly relative term,” Ziara pointed out. “Even if you can, we have no justification. Chiss territory hasn’t been invaded, and we haven’t been attacked.”

“If we move closer, we might be.”

“Deliberate provocation is also disallowed.”

Again, Thrawn shook his head. “I can see it all,” he said, his voice strained. “Their tactics, their patterns, their weaknesses. I could tell you right here, right now, how to beat them.”

“Even at four-to-one odds?”

“The odds don’t matter,” Thrawn said. “I’ve studied Lioaoin art since our first encounter with the pirates. I know their tactics and their battle patterns. I know how they utilize their weapons and defenses, and how they take advantage of an enemy’s mistakes.”

He turned, and Ziara was struck by the intensity of his expression. “No damage,” he said softly. “No damage.”