“—to intruder,” a Lioaoin voice came over the speaker, its Minnisiat clear and precise. “You are threatening the peace and safety of the Vak Combine. Leave immediately, or be fired upon.”

“Admiral—” Zistalmu began.

“Quiet.” Ar’alani cut him off as she tapped her comm switch. “This is Admiral Ar’alani aboard the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet ship Vigilant,” she said. “We mean no harm to Primea or the Combine. One of our people has gone missing, and we’re here to inquire about his whereabouts.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when all four Lioaoi ships opened fire.

“Barriers up!” Wutroow barked. “Target enemy lasers.”

“Prepare spheres,” Ar’alani added, her brain spinning as she tried to figure out what in hell was going on. What were Lioaoi even doing here at Primea, let alone attacking a Chiss warship on sight?

And then, suddenly, she got it.

Damn the Nikardun, anyway.

“Spheres: Fire when ready,” she bit out. “Target all Lioaoin ships; concentrate on weapons clusters.”

“Enemy lasers impacting on the hull,” Wutroow reported, her voice tight but controlled. “Barriers diffusing about eighty percent. Spheres on their way.”

Ar’alani nodded. Enough plasma sphere impacts, enough ion bursts eating into the electronics, and the attackers’ ability to continue fighting would be neutralized.

But it would take half a dozen shots to sufficiently disable any one of the ships, and there were four of them for her to deal with. And the Vigilant had only a limited number of spheres available.

Unless…

“Continue targeting weapons,” she ordered, searching the displays. Thrawn’s patrol ship…there it was, coming up fast. The two Vak fighters that had been in pursuit, she noted, were falling back. Apparently, they didn’t want him badly enough to charge into a combat zone.

Perfect.

“Octrimo, what’s our best course out of here?” she called.

“Wait,” Zistalmu protested. “Now, when we’re actually attacked—now you want to run?”

“Shut it,” Ar’alani said. “Octrimo?”

“Best exit route is portside,” Octrimo reported. “But that vector will take us into close-combat range with both Three and Four.”

The Lioaoin ship designated as Four, Ar’alani noted, being the one farthest to portside. Time to gamble. “Concentrate sphere fire on Three,” she said. “Octrimo, take us out on your vector.”

“On Three?” Zistalmu put in. “But Four’s closer—”

“If I have to tell you again to be quiet, I’ll have you removed from the bridge,” Ar’alani warned.

Zistalmu sputtered something but fell silent.

The laserfire from the four Lioaoin ships was increasing as the Vigilant headed toward the open space to the Lioaoin formation’s left. Attackers Three and Four began moving sideways to block the Chiss escape, though Three’s efforts were now being slowed by the cascade of plasma spheres hammering into its hull.