“Acknowledged,” Samakro said, peering out at the Nightdragon that had just appeared in the distance in front of the Springhawk. As he watched, the rest of Ar’alani’s force popped in from hyperspace, the cruisers, destroyers, and missile boats moving quickly into screening formation around her as they arrived. “Kharill, do we have her signal yet?”

“Coming online now, sir,” Kharill confirmed. “Open communication to Primea and all the rest of the force.” There was a double-click—

“Primea Central Command, this is Admiral Ar’alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet,” Ar’alani identified herself. “May I assume you received the message from my colleague, Senior Captain Thrawn?”

“This is Command,” an official-sounding voice came back promptly. “We did.”

“And have you considered it?”

“We have,” the Vak said. “We wait upon your confirmation of the identities and locations of Nikardun vessels.”

“Acknowledged,” Ar’alani said. “Our officers are gathering that data now.”

“Dalvu?” Samakro prompted. “Seconds count.”

“But so does neatness,” Kharill added.

“Agreed,” Samakro said, fighting back his impatience. The orbiting Nikardun ships were undoubtedly even now reporting to Yiv that a Chiss fleet had arrived and were requesting orders. The longer the sensor analysis took, the more likely Yiv would order an attack and the Nikardun would get in the first shot.

Normally, that would be a good thing, the excuse the Chiss needed to shoot back. In this case, though, that kind of political spit-splitting would be less than useless.

But they had to be careful. Letting a Nikardun slip unidentified beneath their sensor threshold would be bad enough. Inadvertently targeting an innocent ship would be worse. The seconds ticked by…

“Got them, sir,” Dalvu said with clear satisfaction. “I make it thirty-two ships, ranging in size from destroyers to missile boats.”

“Got the Vigilant’s list,” the comm officer put in. “Also Grayshrike’s and Whisperbird’s analyses.”

“All four match,” Dalvu announced. “Repeat: full confirmation ID on thirty-two enemy ships. Deployment pattern…well, well.” She touched a key, and the tagged Nikardun ships came up on the tactical.

“Would you look at that?” Kharill said with feigned surprise. “I’d say that’s a blockade formation.”

“So it is,” Samakro agreed. Deployed that way, probably, in order to keep anyone from wandering out of the regular traffic flow and accidentally blundering into Yiv’s confrontation with Thrawn, wherever it was Yiv had moved it.

But of course, the Vaks wouldn’t know that was the reason.

“Vigilant’s sending the profile to Primea Command,” Kharill reported.

“Good,” Samakro said. “Let’s see if they come to the correct conclusion.”

“They’d better hurry,” Kharill warned. “Yiv can’t possibly be hoping to bully a system like this without a lot more firepower close at hand. I’d prefer we have the chance to take out his bumpers before his bruisers get here.”