Add combat comms, block jump/landing during fights, and retime pirate am

- Add OAC "enemies detected" / "enemies defeated" visual comms with random voice pools, fired on CombatSystem active-flag flips
- Deny jumping or landing while a fight is live so the wave run can't be escaped or hidden on a surface
- Move the 'Pirate Problems' ambush trigger to the midpoint of the entry-gate → capital-world stretch, persisting lastJumpFrom through saves for a stable midpoint

data/gates.json

@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@
     "jumpDelayMs": 420,
     "toast": "JUMP — {dest}",
     "dormantToast": "JUMP GATE DORMANT — CHART {system} TO ACTIVATE ITS JUMP GATES",
-    "miningToast": "CANNOT JUMP WHILE MINING"
+    "miningToast": "CANNOT JUMP WHILE MINING",
+    "combatToast": "CANNOT JUMP WHILE UNDER ATTACK"
   },
   "route": {
     "_comment": "ROUTE (js/galaxy/Route.js + GameScene): the player's plotted course to a SET DESTINATION (SYSTEM tab of the MAP console). The run persists only the destination (systemId + objectId); the path from the current system is derived (planRoute — the jump network is a spanning tree, so it is the unique route). While a route is active, the compass marks the NEXT STOP in ORANGE (compassColor), replacing that object's ordinary arrow, and shows it even while still UNDISCOVERED (it is the thing to find): in an intermediate system the next stop is that system's jump gate toward the destination (typeLabel 'Route Gate'); in the DESTINATION system the next stop is the destination OBJECT itself (destTypeLabel) — the last hop is across the system to the world, and it stays orange until the ship actually reaches it (GameScene._checkDestinationReached fires reachedToast, then the route clears). The NEXT STOP in this system ALSO wears an in-world orange pulse the moment it is on screen (js/entities/RoutePulse.js — GameScene marks it each frame): the FULL pulse on the route GATE (pulse), the SAME pulse SUBDUED on the destination OBJECT in the destination system (objectPulse). A jump to any other system re-plots from the detour (replotToast). A destination with NO specific object clears the moment its system is entered. setToast fires when the destination is set ({dest}/{hops}).",

data/landing.json

@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@
     "greyed out in comms, same as a reputation ban)."
   ],
   "enabled": true,
+  "combatDenyToast": {
+    "_comment": "The COMBAT gate (js/scenes/GameScene.js → startLanding): a live fight (CombatSystem.active — a wave run in flight or hostiles up) holds the ship in the air — landing would sleep the flight scene under the wave and let the player hide on the surface, so a landing request mid-combat is a flat denial on the console (the comms panel already closed — the toast is the ack; the ✗ mark reads the deny). Same shape as the capital's claim gate (data/quests.json → capitalDenyToast).",
+    "glyph": "✗",
+    "color": "#ff5c77",
+    "text": "CANNOT LAND WHILE UNDER ATTACK"
+  },
   "videoBase": "assets/videos/",
   "volume": 1,
   "_hud_comment": "The upper-left HUD while the surface clip loops: the planet's NAME (Ethnocentric, the SAME shade the menu's game title uses — data/menu.json → colors.title — with a black stroke behind it so it holds over any clip) and, beneath it in the body face (Centauri), the planet TYPE + TETHER LEVEL (\"Terran World, Tether Level 1\"). Both decode in with the shared scramble (the name first). marginX/marginY = corner offsets (px); name/line = font sizes, letter spacing (px), stroke color/thickness, and line color (the theme's dim by default).",

data/quests.json

@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@
       }
     },
     {
-      "_comment": "THE FOURTH QUEST — 'Pirate Problems' (the run's third link after 'Special Delivery'). It GRANTS the moment 'Special Delivery' is COMPLETED AND CLAIMED AND its payoff chain is HEARD ALL THE WAY THROUGH (unlocks.claimed + unlocks.acked — the deliveredLaunch four-beat: carol-delivered-1/2/3 + oac-delivered-1, every one of them ACKed, not merely started — the run's comms acked-ledger, registry 'commsAcked', owned by js/comms/CommsHub.js's onAck hook; GameScene._grantUnlockedQuests supplies it to QuestState.isUnlockMet, so the grant lands on whichever of the two conditions completes last: the claim (claimQuest) or the final ACK (_commEnded's grant pass)). On its grant the run turns: the player's DESTINATION is set to the Neutral Capital world (GameScene._questStartBeats) and Trestle's three-beat warning plays (data/comms.json → trigger 'trestleQ4' — trestle-q4-1/2/3 on trestle-q4-01/02/03.mp3; the 'Speak with Trestle' step's witness is that sequence in the played-ledger, the same _trestleCheck seam as 'Leaving the Nest'). Then the run's story turns on the pirates: ENTERING the capital's system with the quest live, the ambush fires — ONE rolling wave of SIX frame-0 raiders (data/combat.json → waves.scripts.pirate_ambush; EnemyTypes: raider = frame 0), the wave ships materializing OFF-SCREEN around the player, each from a random direction (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy — the same off-screen materialization as the ?combat pack), streaming in on their own chase AI (GameScene._maybeStartPirateAmbush fires the run); the wave's completion marks the 'combatDone' ledger (registry, SaveData-captured) — the 'Defend your ship from pirates' step's monotonic witness. 'Return to the Neutral Capital World' completes on the ARRIVAL itself — the ship within the capital world's keep-out rim with the quest held + unclaimed sets story.capitalReturned (GameScene._maybeWitnessCapitalReturn; the story ledger is SaveData-captured, monotonic). The bar's follow-up conversation is a later layer (the arrival is the step; the scene lands on it).",
+      "_comment": "THE FOURTH QUEST — 'Pirate Problems' (the run's third link after 'Special Delivery'). It GRANTS the moment 'Special Delivery' is COMPLETED AND CLAIMED AND its payoff chain is HEARD ALL THE WAY THROUGH (unlocks.claimed + unlocks.acked — the deliveredLaunch four-beat: carol-delivered-1/2/3 + oac-delivered-1, every one of them ACKed, not merely started — the run's comms acked-ledger, registry 'commsAcked', owned by js/comms/CommsHub.js's onAck hook; GameScene._grantUnlockedQuests supplies it to QuestState.isUnlockMet, so the grant lands on whichever of the two conditions completes last: the claim (claimQuest) or the final ACK (_commEnded's grant pass)). On its grant the run turns: the player's DESTINATION is set to the Neutral Capital world (GameScene._questStartBeats) and Trestle's three-beat warning plays (data/comms.json → trigger 'trestleQ4' — trestle-q4-1/2/3 on trestle-q4-01/02/03.mp3; the 'Speak with Trestle' step's witness is that sequence in the played-ledger, the same _trestleCheck seam as 'Leaving the Nest'). Then the run's story turns on the pirates: with the quest live, the ambush fires at the MIDPOINT of the entry-jumpgate → capital-world stretch — the player ENTERS the capital's system at the gate (a full stretch from the world), and the raiders materialize once the ship is within HALF that gate-to-world distance of the capital (GameScene._maybeStartPirateAmbush: the entry gate is the destination's return gate for the last jump's source system — the restore's lastJumpFrom, staged in jumpThroughGate and saved in captureState — falling back to the gate nearest the spawn, then the spawn itself; the trigger is dist(gate, capital)/2 via JumpTravel.ambushTriggerDistance, and update() arms it the frame the ship crosses the halfway point) — ONE rolling wave of SIX frame-0 raiders (data/combat.json → waves.scripts.pirate_ambush; EnemyTypes: raider = frame 0), the wave ships materializing OFF-SCREEN around the player, each from a random direction (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy — the same off-screen materialization as the ?combat pack), streaming in on their own chase AI (GameScene._maybeStartPirateAmbush fires the run); the wave's completion marks the 'combatDone' ledger (registry, SaveData-captured) — the 'Defend your ship from pirates' step's monotonic witness. 'Return to the Neutral Capital World' completes on the ARRIVAL itself — the ship within the capital world's keep-out rim with the quest held + unclaimed sets story.capitalReturned (GameScene._maybeWitnessCapitalReturn; the story ledger is SaveData-captured, monotonic). The bar's follow-up conversation is a later layer (the arrival is the step; the scene lands on it).",
       "id": "pirate_problems",
       "category": "main",
       "icon": "diamond",

dev/comms.test.mjs

@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@
  *     carol-delivered-1 → carol-delivered-2 → carol-delivered-3 →
  *     oac-delivered-1 (the 'Special Delivery' payoff — the launch back
  *     into space after the package's home-world sale, ack) on
- *     deliveredLaunch, with Carol registered as a sender);
+ *     deliveredLaunch, oac-enemies-detected (visual, once:false,
+ *     audioPool) on combatStart, and oac-enemies-defeated (visual,
+ *     once:false, audioPool, the 1 s delay) on combatEnd, with Carol
+ *     registered as a sender);
  *   - the reserved triggers are RESERVED (no comm uses them yet);
  *   - normalizeComm drops what can't be shown (bad type / no trigger /
  *     no text for a box / no speech for an audio comm / unknown sender),
@@ -90,8 +93,9 @@ const roster = listComms(cfg);
 // The shipped roster count (the data pins it: a stray unvalidated comm
 // landing in data/comms.json changes the number and fails this line —
 // 25 pre-'Pirate Problems' + the trestleQ4 warning trio (trestle-q4-1/
-// 2/3, data/comms.json) = 28).
-check('the roster holds exactly the shipped comms', roster.length === 28);
+// 2/3, data/comms.json) + the combat pair (oac-enemies-detected /
+// oac-enemies-defeated) = 30).
+check('the roster holds exactly the shipped comms', roster.length === 30);
 const byId = Object.fromEntries(roster.map((c) => [c.id, c]));
 const intro = byId['oac-intro'];
 check(
@@ -300,6 +304,75 @@ check('oac-quest-new: speaks oac/quest-new.mp3', byId['oac-quest-new']?.audio ==
 check('oac-quest-new: the clip ships on disk', existsSync(join(root, byId['oac-quest-new']?.audio ?? '')));
 check('oac-quest-new: beats the grant SFX (delayMs > 0)', (byId['oac-quest-new']?.delayMs ?? 0) > 0);
 
+// The combat pair — OAC's contact call the moment the fight goes live
+// and the sign-off the moment the last hostile is down (GameScene
+// ._setCombatBar — the CombatSystem active-flag flips; both once:false,
+// both voiced by an audioPool — the same contract as oac-system-complete).
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-detected: the combat-start call (visual, combatStart, oac, once:false)',
+  !!byId['oac-enemies-detected'] &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-detected'].from === 'oac' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-detected'].type === 'visual' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-detected'].trigger === 'combatStart' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-detected'].once === false,
+);
+const detPool = byId['oac-enemies-detected']?.audioPool ?? [];
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-detected: the three detected clips (audioPool, no fixed audio)',
+  byId['oac-enemies-detected']?.audio === null &&
+    JSON.stringify(detPool) ===
+      JSON.stringify([
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-detected-01.mp3',
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-detected-02.mp3',
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-detected-03.mp3',
+      ]),
+);
+check('oac-enemies-detected: every pool clip ships on disk', detPool.every((f) => existsSync(join(root, f))));
+check('oac-enemies-detected: fires AT the fight (delayMs === 0)', (byId['oac-enemies-detected']?.delayMs ?? -1) === 0);
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-detected: a played call RE-arms (once:false — every combat start)',
+  commsForTrigger(cfg, 'combatStart', new Set(['oac-enemies-detected'])).length === 1,
+);
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-defeated: the combat-end sign-off (visual, combatEnd, oac, once:false)',
+  !!byId['oac-enemies-defeated'] &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-defeated'].from === 'oac' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-defeated'].type === 'visual' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-defeated'].trigger === 'combatEnd' &&
+    byId['oac-enemies-defeated'].once === false,
+);
+const defPool = byId['oac-enemies-defeated']?.audioPool ?? [];
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-defeated: the three defeated clips (audioPool, no fixed audio)',
+  byId['oac-enemies-defeated']?.audio === null &&
+    JSON.stringify(defPool) ===
+      JSON.stringify([
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-defeated-01.mp3',
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-defeated-02.mp3',
+        'assets/speech/oac/enemies-defeated-03.mp3',
+      ]),
+);
+check('oac-enemies-defeated: every pool clip ships on disk', defPool.every((f) => existsSync(join(root, f))));
+check('oac-enemies-defeated: waits 1 s for the last kill to land (delayMs === 1000)', (byId['oac-enemies-defeated']?.delayMs ?? -1) === 1000);
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-defeated: a played sign-off RE-arms (once:false — every combat end)',
+  commsForTrigger(cfg, 'combatEnd', new Set(['oac-enemies-defeated'])).length === 1,
+);
+const detAssets = commAssets(cfg, byId['oac-enemies-detected']);
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-detected assets: the pool rolls to a shipped clip, keyed',
+  detAssets.video?.key === 'comms_vid_oac' &&
+    detPool.includes(detAssets.audio?.url) &&
+    detAssets.audio?.key === audioKeyFor(detAssets.audio.url),
+);
+const defAssets = commAssets(cfg, byId['oac-enemies-defeated']);
+check(
+  'oac-enemies-defeated assets: the pool rolls to a shipped clip, keyed',
+  defAssets.video?.key === 'comms_vid_oac' &&
+    defPool.includes(defAssets.audio?.url) &&
+    defAssets.audio?.key === audioKeyFor(defAssets.audio.url),
+);
+
 // The 'Leaving the Nest' beats — Trestle's THREE-BRIEF sequence (the
 // home gates go online; ALL THREE in the run's comms played-ledger are
 // the quest's 'Talk to Trestle' witness — GameScene._trestleCheck) and

dev/jump-travel.test.mjs

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ const check = (label, cond) => {
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 const gates = read('gates.json');
 const tether = read('tether.json');
+const landing = read('landing.json');
 const jump = gates.jump;
 
 check('jump: section present', !!jump && typeof jump === 'object');
@@ -55,13 +56,24 @@ check('jump: the toast templates keep their placeholders',
   typeof jump?.toast === 'string' && jump.toast.includes('{dest}') &&
   typeof jump?.dormantToast === 'string' && jump.dormantToast.includes('{system}') &&
   typeof jump?.miningToast === 'string' && jump.miningToast.length > 0);
+check('jump: combatToast is the live-fight denial (non-empty string)',
+  typeof jump?.combatToast === 'string' && jump.combatToast.length > 0);
 check('jump: the gap keeps the ship outside the keepout with room to spare',
   Number(jump?.arrivalGap ?? -1) + Number(gates.size ?? 0) + Number(gates.shipClearance ?? 0) > Number(gates.size ?? 0) + Number(gates.shipClearance ?? 0));
 
+// The COMBAT gates (GameScene.jumpThroughGate / startLanding — a live
+// fight, CombatSystem.active, denies the jump AND the landing: the run
+// can't leave the system it's fighting in, and can't hide on a surface
+// while the wave runs): the toasts' shapes.
+check('landing: combatDenyToast configured (glyph + text + color)',
+  !!landing.combatDenyToast && typeof landing.combatDenyToast.glyph === 'string' &&
+  typeof landing.combatDenyToast.text === 'string' && landing.combatDenyToast.text.length > 0 &&
+  /^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}$/.test(landing.combatDenyToast.color ?? ''));
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 // The pure geometry (js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js)
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-const { returnGateFor, arrivalPoint, jumpArrival } = await import('../js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js');
+const { returnGateFor, arrivalPoint, jumpArrival, ambushTriggerDistance } = await import('../js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js');
 
 const contentA = {
   jumps: [
@@ -100,6 +112,23 @@ check('jumpArrival: { x, y, heading, gateId } for a tree-edge jump',
 check('jumpArrival: null for a one-way shortcut (the scene falls back to the origin)',
   jumpArrival(contentA, 'D', cfg) === null);
 
+// The 'Pirate Problems' ambush's trigger — HALF the gate→capital stretch
+// (GameScene._maybeStartPirateAmbush fires the wave once the ship is
+// within that distance of the capital world: the midpoint of the
+// jumpgate→world line).
+const gate0 = { x: 1000, y: 2000 };
+const cap0 = { x: 4000, y: 6000 }; // 3000, 4000 apart → 5000
+check('ambushTriggerDistance: half the gate→world stretch (the ambush midpoint)',
+  ambushTriggerDistance(gate0, cap0) === 2500);
+check('ambushTriggerDistance: symmetric (gate/world order is immaterial)',
+  ambushTriggerDistance(cap0, gate0) === 2500);
+check('ambushTriggerDistance: null on a missing point (no gate / no capital)',
+  ambushTriggerDistance(null, cap0) === null &&
+  ambushTriggerDistance(gate0, null) === null &&
+  ambushTriggerDistance({ x: 1 }, { y: 1 }) === null);
+check('ambushTriggerDistance: null on a zero stretch (gate on the world)',
+  ambushTriggerDistance({ x: 5, y: 5 }, { x: 5, y: 5 }) === null);
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 // A REAL galaxy (bootstrap config the way main.js does, from the data dir)
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------

js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js

@@ -82,3 +82,26 @@ export function jumpArrival(content, fromId, cfg = {}) {
   if (!gate) return null;
   return { ...arrivalPoint(gate, cfg), gateId: gate.id };
 }
+
+/**
+ * The 'Pirate Problems' ambush's TRIGGER DISTANCE — half the
+ * gate→capital-world stretch (GameScene._maybeStartPirateAmbush): the
+ * raiders materialise once the player is that far from the capital
+ * world, i.e. at the MIDPOINT of the entry-jumpgate → world line, so
+ * the conflict starts halfway to the capital from the jumpgate.
+ *
+ * @param {{x:number,y:number}|null} gate the entry gate (a content
+ *   record, or any {x, y} anchor — the scene's spawn fallback)
+ * @param {{x:number,y:number}|null} world the capital world
+ * @returns {number|null} dist(gate, world) / 2, or null when either
+ *   point is missing or the stretch is degenerate (zero)
+ */
+export function ambushTriggerDistance(gate, world) {
+  const gx = Number(gate?.x);
+  const gy = Number(gate?.y);
+  const wx = Number(world?.x);
+  const wy = Number(world?.y);
+  if (![gx, gy, wx, wy].every(Number.isFinite)) return null;
+  const d = Math.hypot(gx - wx, gy - wy);
+  return d > 0 ? d / 2 : null;
+}

js/save/SaveData.js

@@ -118,6 +118,17 @@ export function captureState(scene, now) {
     galaxyName: galaxy.name,
     currentSystemId: galaxy.currentSystemId,
     systemName: scene.systemRecord?.name ?? null,
+    // The last JUMP's source system (GameScene.lastJumpFromSystem —
+    // jumpThroughGate stages it into the restore record; the scene
+    // re-reads it from its own restore). The 'Pirate Problems'
+    // ambush's midpoint is measured from the ENTRY GATE
+    // (returnGateFor(content, lastJumpFrom) —
+    // GameScene._pirateAmbushEntryGate), so the field rides saves and a
+    // reload keeps the same midpoint. A save predating it has no field;
+    // the restore treats the absence as a fresh run (the ambush's
+    // nearest-gate fallback).
+    lastJumpFrom:
+      typeof scene.lastJumpFromSystem === 'string' ? scene.lastJumpFromSystem : null,
     ship: {
       x: Number(scene.ship.x),
       y: Number(scene.ship.y),

js/scenes/GameScene.js

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import { Planet } from '../entities/Planet.js';
 import { AsteroidCluster } from '../entities/AsteroidCluster.js';
 import { Station } from '../entities/Station.js';
 import { JumpGate } from '../entities/JumpGate.js';
-import { jumpArrival } from '../galaxy/JumpTravel.js';
+import { jumpArrival, returnGateFor, ambushTriggerDistance } from '../galaxy/JumpTravel.js';
 import { Starfield } from '../visuals/Starfield.js';
 import { NebulaAtmosphere } from '../visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js';
 import { NebulaLightning } from '../visuals/NebulaLightning.js';
@@ -448,6 +448,17 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     // playtime) in the registry (js/save/SaveData.js) — the ship and the
     // tether field don't exist yet, so apply it once they do (below).
     this._pendingRestore = consumeRestore(this.registry);
+    // The last JUMP's source system (jumpThroughGate stages it into the
+    // restore record; captureState carries it through a panel save too):
+    // the 'Pirate Problems' ambush measures its midpoint from the gate
+    // the player came in through — returnGateFor(content, lastJumpFrom)
+    // (GameScene._pirateAmbushEntryGate). Null on a fresh run or a save
+    // predating the field — the ambush's nearest-gate fallback stands
+    // in for it.
+    this.lastJumpFromSystem =
+      this._pendingRestore && typeof this._pendingRestore.lastJumpFrom === 'string'
+        ? this._pendingRestore.lastJumpFrom
+        : null;
     // A FRESH run (no staged restore) is what the 'newGame' comms fire
     // for (the welcome plays on a new game, never on a load) — and a
     // jump-cut restart (scene.restart, no resetRunState) is NOT one: its
@@ -908,8 +919,11 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
 
     // ---- COMBAT — the hostile pack (the ?combat boot) + the combat bar --
     // COMBAT IS LIVE IN THE MAIN GAME: the 'Pirate Problems' quest
-    // (data/quests.json → pirate_problems) ambushes the player on the
-    // ENTER of the Neutral Capital's system — GameScene.
+    // (data/quests.json → pirate_problems) ambushes the player at the
+    // MIDPOINT of the entry-jumpgate → Neutral-Capital-world stretch —
+    // the enter lands the ship at the gate (a full stretch out); the
+    // wave starts when it reaches half that distance from the world —
+    // GameScene.
     // _maybeStartPirateAmbush fires the pirate_ambush wave run (data/
     // combat.json → waves.scripts.pirate_ambush — one rolling wave of six
     // frame-0 raiders, materializing off-screen around the player from a
@@ -1782,15 +1796,19 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     // and the quest guard (_trestleQ4Beats) keeps the beats off the
     // player before the grant.
     this._trestleQ4Beats();
-    // The 'Pirate Problems' AMBUSH — this is the ENTER of the Neutral
-    // Capital's system (the scene was just built for it): with the quest
-    // live and its combat step open, the pirate wave starts — its ships
-    // materialize OFF-SCREEN around the player, each from a random
-    // direction (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy), and converge on their
-    // own chase AI. The other arm is the grant itself (a save whose
-    // grant landed while the player was already IN the system — the
-    // same method is a no-op there only when the quest isn't live or
-    // the wave already ran).
+    // The 'Pirate Problems' AMBUSH — the ENTER of the Neutral Capital's
+    // system (the scene was just built for it): the ship is at the entry
+    // gate (a full gate→capital stretch from the world), so the wave
+    // starts here only when the spawn already sits within the MIDPOINT
+    // (a degenerate short stretch) — otherwise update() arms it the
+    // frame the flight crosses the halfway point (the same method's
+    // guards are no-op-gated either way). The third arm is the grant
+    // itself (_questStartBeats — a save whose grant landed while the
+    // player was already IN the system, past the midpoint or not).
+    // When it fires, its ships materialize OFF-SCREEN around the player,
+    // each from a random direction (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy), and
+    // converge on their own chase AI.
+    this._ambushSpawn = this.ship ? { x: this.ship.x, y: this.ship.y } : null;
     this._maybeStartPirateAmbush();
   }
 
@@ -1845,11 +1863,20 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    * The action-deck swap (combat mode, Diablo 4 style — one bar in the
    * same place, depending on the mode): combat LIVE → the combat bar up
    * and the deck down; combat over → back to the deck.
+   * The COMBAT COMMS ride this same flip (data/comms.json →
+   * oac-enemies-detected / oac-enemies-defeated, both visual, both
+   * once:false): live → OAC's contact call (the wave run's lead — before
+   * the first hostile lands — or the ?combat pack's spawn); over (the
+   * last hostile down) → OAC's sign-off (its delayMs, 1 s, lands it
+   * after the final explosion's read). The hub's in-flight guard + the
+   * played ledger keep each flip to one voice.
    * @param {boolean} active
    */
   _setCombatBar(active) {
     if (this.actionBar) this.actionBar.setVisible(!active);
     if (this.combatBar) this.combatBar.setVisible(active);
+    if (active) this.comms?.trigger('combatStart');
+    else this.comms?.trigger('combatEnd');
   }
 
   /**
@@ -2368,6 +2395,13 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     this.tetherField.draw(_time); // the barrier (on-screen dots only)
     this.actionBar?.update(_time, delta); // the deck's living details
     this._checkDestinationReached(); // last leg done? clear the destination (REACHED)
+    // 'Pirate Problems' step 2 — the AMBUSH's arm: with the quest live
+    // and its combat step open, the pirate wave starts the moment the
+    // ship is within HALF the entry-gate → capital-world stretch — the
+    // conflict begins halfway to the world from the jumpgate (the
+    // method is no-op-gated, so the per-frame cost is a few ledger
+    // reads + one distance check).
+    this._maybeStartPirateAmbush();
     // 'Pirate Problems' step 3 — the RETURN's witness: the ship at the
     // capital world's rim with the quest held + unclaimed sets
     // story.capitalReturned (monotonic; _maybeWitnessCapitalReturn is a
@@ -2856,6 +2890,20 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
       );
       return;
     }
+    // COMBAT — a live fight (CombatSystem.active — a wave run in flight,
+    // the 'Pirate Problems' ambush included, or hostiles up) holds the
+    // ship in the system: a jump mid-wave would carry the run out of its
+    // own fight (the wave run is scene-local — the enemies and the
+    // fight's momentum would die with the scene, the run would simply
+    // vanish with the threat). Same flat denial shape as the mining
+    // guard above.
+    if (this.combat?.active) {
+      this.consoleToast(
+        String(config.get('gates.jump.combatToast', 'CANNOT JUMP WHILE UNDER ATTACK')),
+        { glyph: '⌁', glyphColor: toCss(themeColor('neon2', 0xff9b9b)) },
+      );
+      return;
+    }
     // Where we arrive: just past the return gate's keepout (JumpTravel).
     // Fallback — no return gate (a one-way shortcut, shortcuts are OFF in
     // the current config): the destination's origin (its center is empty —
@@ -2881,6 +2929,14 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
 
     const rec = captureState(this, this.time.now);
     rec.currentSystemId = destId;
+    // The AMBUSH's bookkeeping — which gate the player came in through:
+    // the new scene resolves its entry gate as
+    // returnGateFor(content, lastJumpFrom) and measures the 'Pirate
+    // Problems' midpoint from it (GameScene._pirateAmbushEntryGate).
+    // A panel save carries the field through (captureState), so a
+    // reload keeps the same midpoint; a save predating it simply lacks
+    // the field (the nearest-gate fallback).
+    rec.lastJumpFrom = from.id;
     rec.systemName = dest.name;
     rec.ship = {
       x: arrival.x,
@@ -3164,6 +3220,10 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
    *   'land'            — an unsettled world → land (same gate for the
    *                       capital world, were it ever unsettled)
    *   'cancel'          — just close (the console log is the ack)
+   * Both transports keep their OWN combat guard on top of the panel's
+   * (GameScene.jumpThroughGate / startLanding — a live fight,
+   * CombatSystem.active, denies the jump and the landing: the run can't
+   * leave the system it's fighting in).
    */
   commsAction(id, target) {
     this.commsPanel.close(); // the buttons close the panel (like miningAction)
@@ -3171,7 +3231,7 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     if (id === 'request-jump') {
       // The panel only offers this when the gate is active and
       // gates.jump.enabled — jumpThroughGate keeps its own guards
-      // (mining in progress, a missing destination).
+      // (mining in progress, a live combat, a missing destination).
       const gt = target.gate?.entity;
       if (gt) this.jumpThroughGate(gt);
       return;
@@ -3219,6 +3279,26 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
       console.info(`[orbit] comms: landing disabled for ${target.name}`);
       return;
     }
+    // COMBAT — a live fight (CombatSystem.active — a wave run in flight,
+    // the 'Pirate Problems' ambush included, or hostiles up) holds the
+    // ship in the air: landing would SLEEP the flight scene under the
+    // wave — the player would hide on the surface while the raiders
+    // wait, and the fight's momentum (the wave run is scene-local) would
+    // die with the sleep. The fight ends where it started, in the air.
+    // Same flat denial shape as the capital's claim gate below.
+    if (this.combat?.active) {
+      const t = config.get('landing.combatDenyToast', {});
+      this.playSfx('ui_close');
+      this.consoleToast(
+        String(t.text ?? 'CANNOT LAND WHILE UNDER ATTACK'),
+        {
+          glyph: t.glyph ?? '✗',
+          glyphColor: t.color ? toCss(t.color) : toCss(themeColor('red', 0xff5c77)),
+          durationMs: 3200,
+        },
+      );
+      return;
+    }
     // The CAPITAL WORLD holds its door until the 'Leaving the Nest'
     // reward is CLAIMED (the quest's 200 credits — the quest itself
     // completes when the ship arrives at this planet; the claim is the
@@ -4490,10 +4570,12 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     }
     this._trestleQ4Beats();
     // The AMBUSH's other arm: the grant may have landed while the player
-    // was already IN the capital's system (a late claim out there) — the
-    // create() arm only covers the enter. _maybeStartPirateAmbush is
-    // no-op-gated (quest live + step open + system match + not already
-    // running/done), so re-calling it here is safe.
+    // was already IN the capital's system (a late claim out there) — if
+    // the ship is already within the midpoint the wave starts here; if
+    // it's still gate-side, update()'s arm arms it once the flight
+    // crosses the halfway point. _maybeStartPirateAmbush is no-op-gated
+    // (quest live + step open + system match + not already running/done
+    // + within the midpoint trigger), so re-calling it here is safe.
     this._maybeStartPirateAmbush();
   }
 
@@ -4665,23 +4747,30 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
 
   /**
    * The 'Pirate Problems' AMBUSH — the quest's 'Defend your ship from
-   * pirates' step: when the player ENTERS the Neutral Capital's system
-   * (the gate-to-capital stretch — 'all bets are off' out here) with the
-   * quest live (held + unclaimed) and its combat step still open, the
-   * pirate wave starts — ONE rolling wave of six frame-0 raiders
-   * (data/combat.json → waves.scripts.pirate_ambush), three at a time,
-   * each kill feeding a replacement until all six are down. The wave
-   * ships materialize OFF-SCREEN around the player, each from a random
-   * direction (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy), and stream in on their
-   * own chase AI. Two arms call this:
-   *   · create()'s tail — the ENTER of the system (the normal case);
+   * pirates' step: with the quest live (held + unclaimed) and its
+   * combat step still open, the pirate wave starts the moment the ship
+   * reaches the MIDPOINT of the entry-gate → capital-world stretch —
+   * HALF the jumpgate-to-world distance from the capital (the quest's
+   * destination is the capital, so the run's flight crosses it), NOT
+   * on the system's enter (the gate-side spawn is a full stretch out).
+   * ONE rolling wave of six frame-0 raiders (data/combat.json →
+   * waves.scripts.pirate_ambush), three at a time, each kill feeding a
+   * replacement until all six are down. The wave ships materialize
+   * OFF-SCREEN around the player, each from a random direction
+   * (CombatSystem._spawnWaveEnemy), and stream in on their own chase
+   * AI. Three arms call it (all no-op-gated by the guards below):
+   *   · update() — the per-frame arm: the flight crosses the midpoint;
+   *   · create()'s tail — the ENTER, when the spawn already sits
+   *     within the midpoint (a degenerate short stretch);
    *   · _questStartBeats — a grant that lands while the player is
    *     already in the system (a late claim out there).
    * Guards (all must hold, in order): combat enabled + built; the
    * quest held + unclaimed; the combat step not yet cleared (the
    * monotonic done-ledger — a cleared ambush never re-fires); no wave
    * run in flight (a live fight is the fight); the capital target
-   * resolves in THIS system (the ambush lives where Trestle is).
+   * resolves in THIS system (the ambush lives where Trestle is); the
+   * midpoint resolves (entry gate + capital world both found) and the
+   * ship is within it of the capital world.
    * A mid-fight quit re-arms the ambush on load (the in-flight run is
    * scene-local) — the step's witness is the completion, not the
    * attempt, so the re-fire is the fair read.
@@ -4698,12 +4787,55 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     if (this._combatDone().has(script)) return; // cleared once — the step stands
     const run = this.combat.waveRun;
     if (run && run.state !== 'done' && run.state !== 'cancelled') return; // in flight
-    if (this.galaxy?.neutralCapitalTarget?.()?.systemId !== this.systemRecord?.id) return;
+    const t = this.galaxy?.neutralCapitalTarget?.();
+    if (!t?.objectId || t.systemId !== this.systemRecord?.id) return; // not this system
+    // The MIDPOINT TRIGGER — half the entry-gate → capital stretch:
+    // the raiders materialise at the halfway point, not at the gate.
+    const cap = (this.systemPlanets ?? []).find((p) => p.discoveryId === t.objectId);
+    const trigger = ambushTriggerDistance(this._pirateAmbushEntryGate(), cap);
+    if (trigger == null || !this.ship) return; // no stretch to halve
+    if (Math.hypot(this.ship.x - cap.x, this.ship.y - cap.y) > trigger) return; // not halfway yet
     this.combat.startWaves(script, {
       onComplete: () => this._recordCombatDone(script),
     });
   }
 
+  /**
+   * The AMBUSH's entry gate — the gate the player CAME IN through (the
+   * midpoint is measured from it): the destination's return gate for
+   * the last jump's source system first (jumpThroughGate stages
+   * lastJumpFrom into the restore record — exact, and stable across a
+   * save parked mid-stretch), then the system's gate NEAREST the spawn
+   * point (a jump materialises the ship just past its return gate's
+   * keepout, so the nearest gate is the one they used — the fallback
+   * for a fresh run or a save that predates lastJumpFrom), and
+   * finally the spawn point itself (a gate-less system — the spawn IS
+   * where the ship came from).
+   * @returns {{x:number,y:number}|null} the gate record, or null
+   */
+  _pirateAmbushEntryGate() {
+    if (typeof this.lastJumpFromSystem === 'string') {
+      const g = returnGateFor(this.systemContent, this.lastJumpFromSystem);
+      if (g && typeof g.x === 'number' && typeof g.y === 'number') return g;
+    }
+    const anchor = this._ambushSpawn ?? this.ship;
+    if (anchor && Array.isArray(this.systemGates)) {
+      let best = null;
+      let bestD = Infinity;
+      for (const gt of this.systemGates) {
+        const d = Math.hypot(gt.x - anchor.x, gt.y - anchor.y);
+        if (d < bestD) {
+          bestD = d;
+          best = gt;
+        }
+      }
+      if (best) return best;
+    }
+    return anchor && typeof anchor.x === 'number' && typeof anchor.y === 'number'
+      ? { x: anchor.x, y: anchor.y }
+      : null;
+  }
+
   /**
    * The 'Pirate Problems' RETURN witness — the step's 'Return to the
    * Neutral Capital World': the moment the ship is at the capital