Many of the civilian ships were able to escape the huge skirmish between the Hegemony and the Federation safely enough. Most of them were lucky enough to get away with scraped armor and a few punctures.
Some made it, but had taken significant amounts of damage. Parts of their hull had been torn open, and some of their crew were lost.
The cargo tanker took on the most amount of damage, and her hull was scarred with all kinds of damage. Blast marks, laser scoring, bullet dents. No doubt her repair bill was through the roof.
But they were, for the most part, alive.
Most of the ships headed off to the different parts of the planet, though at least half directed themselves towards the planet’s capital city. The city itself was highly contested, and both the Federation and the Hegemony were vying for control of its political districs. Just like the orbital station above them, there was great fighting down below.