Also know: don't pull all your defensive fleet off of your poorly defended planets and start hitting people. Before you go trying to make your first hits it's imperative that your bases are reasonably defended given your level. For in depth analysis of what composes a reasonable defense look at this handy guide. A brief summary would be: - Unshielded turrets are a waste of time because they will be smoked by fighter drop. - CCs are pretty good since anything that can put off people like you who are looking to make a quick credit is good defense.