Official rule text
14 KEY CONCEPT: CAPACITY The number of fighters and ground forces that a player has in the space area of a system cannot exceed the combined capacity of that player’s ships in that system. For example, if a player has two carriers in a system, each with a capacity of “4,” that player cannot have a combination of more than eight fighters and ground forces in the space area of that system. Ground forces on planets do not count against this limitation. If at any time the number of a player’s fighters and ground forces in the space area of a system exceeds the capacity of that players ships in that system, the excess units are destroyed. During combat, a player’s fighters and ground forces can exceed their ships’ capacity, but at the end of the combat, any excess units are destroyed. 3. SPACE COMBAT If multiple players have ships in the active system, they must resolve a space combat in that system. During combat, the active player is the attacker and the other player is the defender. Players resolve space combat by performing the following steps in order: i. ANTI-FIGHTER BARRAGE: Each player’s units can use their “Anti-Fighter Barrage” abilities. ii. ANNOUNCE RETREAT: Either player may choose to announce a retreat. A retreat will not happen immediately;