Thanks for the replies, folks!
Yes, this is the mission where the Professor brings you to the Precursor system to collect artifacts, your way home is blocked as the Portal/Gate has run out of juice, and you have to go through an alternative Portal, which is guarded by a frigate (I can see a second wave lurking within the portal too).
I guess I'm underpowered then. I haven't seen any of that equipment in the shops - the highest level shield I have seen is the Aegis - and the FTU Warehouse is closed to me. Also, my pilots really only have pilot skills as yet, with Greyhair having Lone Wolf and Ternie being able to fly Level 4 fighters (everyone else is Level 3).
The reason for this is that the script has been pushing me into missions; I assumed that the dialogue saying things like 'Let's do this now!' meant I had to go straight to the mission without delay.
My mothership can't hang back in this confrontation, because then the Professor takes a lot longer to drop the frigate's shields (or gets blown up), while my fighters draw all the fire and when the shields do go down, there are only a couple of fighters and missiles left with which to hit the frigate. If my mothership creeps forward in support, it inevitably gets obliterated.
And you're saying it gets harder?
Does levelling up your pilots make
that big a difference?
Thanks again!