Thanks for the cargo info.
As for the exp problem, I was at 0 exp (I'm still a newb busy mining cuz it's expensive to replace lost fighters) and went to -5000 right after turning the ship in, maybe someone warped in and blew something up while I was in the GalcomHQ station? Or I just missed the other ships, I could have sworn there were no other red blips.
Thanks for all the help!