Lost another jump gate constructor to mystery missiles in a newly descovered system. The jump gate constructor got to the system before a proper survey could be carried out and regretted it.
So I gather up my fleet, now 4 carriers (unarmed 7000 tons), 2 cruisers (Heavy laser weaponry + heavy armor and shields 13000 tons), 6 destroyers (8000 tons 1 missile launcher and a small number of laser turrets), and my sensor ship (with 2 small and 1 medium missile launcher and cutting edge active and passive sensor tech). And jump in with another constructor ship. Expecting to simply cover the constructor while it builds a gate.
No such luck, the moment I jump in, 7 contacts at 0km they were waiting on the other side, the constructor goes down in 5 seconds, my fire control is blind after the jump and lasers and missiles are tearing into the lead cruiser. The first laser armed precursors I've encountered, 15 seconds pass and I have sensors again. They are all destroyer size ships, half of them are trying to get as far from the fighting as they can. Those are a class I recognise, fast missile boats, I don't want them to get out of my firing range because they'll never get back in it. The other class is a class I never encountered before and is blasting away with high power energy weapons. At least 5 20cm probably more. The fighters are launched and go chasing after the missile ships I know the missile ships can't hit the fighters. And the fighters should help spot incoming missiles early to give my point defense all the help it can get.
The lead criuser is down, it never managed to fire a shot, the second criuser lays some hurt into one of the enemy laser ships then loses it's main reactor reducing it's rate of fire to nearly nil. The missile ships are out of laser range at this point and the fighters are only barely faster than them. The Sensor ship is still trading missiles with them but is severely outmatched, then it takes a broadside from the enemy laser ships to it's light armor and goes down. My own destroyers put up a valiant fight but they are outnumbered and outgunned, only able to finish off the one ship that the criuser had nearly crippled. The unarmed carriers go down next, and then the laser ships catch up to the fighters harassing the missile ships and swat them one at a time.
Now THAT is what I expected the first time I encountered the precursors. Good to see they aren't all as lame as I feared.