Yeah, shields seem much weaker than I'm used to (which results in many, many explosions). I was testing out my Ion/Laser duo on Ninja (>_>), and was rather pleased with the amount of damage I could dish out, especially when I accidentally hit a weak shield quadrant and went straight to the hull.
Then, figuring that big ship = more shields, I fired on the Aurora a few times. My shots cut through the shields like paper.
A minute later, pirates appeared, and I was warned about Demon-class fighters with many missiles going for the Aurora.
Me: ...wait, that thing had really weak shield---oh, hell. ;_;
That was not a happy escort mission. >_<
Quick query: I can't seem to find a difference, damage wise, between the IR and the HS missiles you're given on said escort mission. Is there? I wanna get a feeling for what weapons to take when, and as yet ...I haven't been able to. >.>;