If you can't take on that "large force" then I recommend taking on the personal bounty. Even a weak starbase would probably give your fleet a lot of trouble, especially if they have a fleet to reinforce them.
The most profitable thing to do when starting out is exploration. Surveying planets, looting and salvaging research stations, etc. You don't need a huge fleet for it either. An Apogee or two, a couple Salvage Rigs, and a few fuel tankers and cargo haulers. Just make sure you take the "Navigation" skill from the Technology tree and take ships with 9+ burn speed, so you can reach the maximum burn speed of 20. Exploration involves a lot of traveling so you'll want to be as quick as possible. Sub-burn speeds aren't as important, you don't have to worry about reaching 10+ with them.
Not only is exploration profitable and low risk in the short term, it also sets you up for colonization and founding your own empire in the long term. I recommend exploring the entire map. It's grindy, but it gives you survey data on every planet and shows you the optimal region for founding your own empire. It also sets you up with a lot of blueprints, which you will need to produce your own faction fleets and equip them with weapons and fighters.
