Back after a long way away... and stuck on Firekka 5

[Necromancer]

I've never been a great Wng Commander pilot. It takes me some time to get through the Krants at Firekka 5 from Secret Missions 2. By the time I do so, the defecting Fralthi is usually about a quarter of the way back to the Tiger's Claw. After I defeat all the Krants, I turn my nose towards the Fralthi, follow, and then he blows up. With no ships around him. I've done this three times, and each time, I watch from a distance as the Fralthi explodes. No ships around it, no sounds of combat.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Necromancer]

I got through it. I needed to autopilot to the Fralthi after getting to Nav Point 1. If I approached without going to Nav Point 1 first... it blows up. If I hit Nav Point 1 and then tried to fly to the Fralthi without using autopilot, it blew up.