Greetings everyone...I hope everyone is having a grand day!!

I finally decided to dive into this after having a quick go during a LAN gaming event I was working at. I can't tell you how excited I am to be part of this now... I have been closely watching this for ages and was trying to wait for the finished thing but I couldn't resist it any longer.

I intend to give a good chunk of my gaming life to this and hopefully become a good contributor to the forums... eventually...
However I am a total beginner right now (have only fired the game up once and walked around the hanger) and need some guidance in the right direction to become a master at this game how ever long it takes.... So if someone can help I have some noob questions I hope I can get answers for..

I didn't do much research into what to buy to be honest and just dove into what seemed like the best value to get going. I bought the Aurora Arena Commander package because, to be honest, I was getting confused about the packages etc and this one seemed decent to start off... it was $45 and it said it had a ship and everything I need to get going. Right now I am very confused about the structure and elements and what I can do with the package I have bought...

a) Was this package a good starting point?
b) What can I do with this package...am hoping to explore, get used to and learn the game, show off to my console mates with the graphics, trade...and maybe a bit of dog fighting but for me that comes later I want to learn first.
c) why isn't my ship in the hanger
d) How do I start a game and learn what to do
e) Can I pump the graphics up any more...I have it set to highest in the settings but there aren't many options (I have a high end rig).
I am in the hanger...where is the best place to start.

Thanks all