You play as Yar, a fly-like creature with a mission to destroy the Qotile laser-base located on the right side of the screen behind a shield.
The goal is to destroy the shield piece by piece using either your wings or shooting it. Once the shield is down, you'll need to use the Zorlon cannon to destroy the Qotile. The Zorlon cannon is located on the left side of the screen and can be fired at the Qotile for a direct hit.
However, the Qotile has some defense mechanisms. A destroyer missile will constantly be homing in on your Yar, but you can temporarily hide from it in the vertical shield in the center of the screen. Be aware that hiding in the shield prevents you from firing!
The Qotiles also have a random attack - a swirl which it will fire at you randomly. You'll need to dodge this to progress.