Donomad...the best advice I can give you as a pilot still playing SP is to not go into the inner core until you are ready.
You really need to spend the time exploring the mod. This will allow you to find the best ship and equipment, and find out about the quests.
Before you can enter the inner core you need...
to have a good rep with DK's...you'll need this in order to travel through their systems...
to have the best VHF ship you can afford with the best shield and weapons...
try exploring some of the systems in X3043 and Altair to find these items
to be aware that once your enter the inner core...
the gate in omega 3 is one-way only, so you have to find another way out, and this will take hours of your time
you will meet the nastiest and most lethal NPC's in the mod, so be prepared to fight or like I did, running and evading...
you can't land anywhere until you get to DK space...4-5 hostile systems away...so this will take time and patience
the adrenalin will be awesome...just like this mod...so good luck