The Compact scout entered the dust front almost exactly when Lysara expected it to.
For the first few minutes, nothing happened.
The ship continued along the same route while the interference around it grew stronger, slowly cutting away its long-range sensors and making communication increasingly unreliable.
Whoever commanded the scout clearly understood that the region was dangerous, because the vessel reduced speed and began sending short sensor pulses ahead instead of trusting its normal navigation systems.
It was careful.
It simply did not know someone was already waiting.
Lysara had placed two patrol ships beyond the thickest part of the dust front, far enough apart that the Compact scout could not avoid both without turning back.
A third ship remained farther away to watch the route in case the scout had support following behind it.
The moment the Compact vessel passed the center of the interference, both patrol ships moved.
