Simply put, on a routine patrol, I was caught off guard by several of the "Reaver" mercenaries. They had somehow penetrated past our initial defenses, and came within several klicks of Malta orbit.
I tried to evade them, and fight back. However, I found myself overwhelmed by their combined firepower. I retreated back to the Loyalist before I was torn apart.
As they say, it's better to live to fight another day, than die out of ignorance.