Surf the stars looking for Aliens, wormholes, and unclaimed loot. Trade with ports or excavate planets to earn money. With cash, you can buy drones for Alien hunting. Even low-level Aliens carry cash and may well have a better Starship than yours. Since combat costs resources, you'll want to ensure that you can win before engaging in battle. Even when you win, however, you won't always show a profit from the loot. Even so, an honorable kill will earn you experience and honor.
Your ship will launch with a large amount of fuel, and you'll incrementally gather more fuel whether you're active or offline. Movement takes very little fuel, especially if you travel light. But some activities burn much more. Repeatedly scanning for nearby starships will consume fuel far faster than travel. Towing large objects around with your ship also costs a lot of fuel.
One last bit of advice; don't attack any ships lower level than yourself until you're quit...
