Whew, lots of posts.  I want to address the "second ship/fleet" issue first.  No, you do not have to spend the 20 power.  However, you may not put him in command of a freighter.  Muse's character is the same rank as Kythia's and the oldest PC in the fleet.  He has an XO.  He would not be in command of a freighter or garbage sow (though garbage sow is damn tempting).  A repair ship or research ship would at least have a mission.<br/><br/>Also, all attributes for the second fleet (if purchased) would be 4d6s (and with only two bonus d6s), so I think it unlikely they will surpass your main ship.<br/><br/>Upgrading to 30 Defense gets you a "no frills" battlestar.  Calling it a damaged 40 is fine, but that is still a battlestar, not a warstar.<br/><br/>I do not want you coordinating with the civilians.  However, if I see a significant problem I will highlight it.