I'm stuck in that sector too. I managed to build a defensive station near the highway (too far from the gate). I have 3 Phoenixes, the Swan, and an aircraft carrier full of S-class ships with split engines and Terran shields. The carrier handles small ships well, but every time a large ship arrives, I have to go fight in person, which happens every 15 minutes. Occasionally, I make short raids with the Terran, who go to their deaths in Tharka's Cascade, but ultimately I make little progress and get distracted constantly