This game was super fun! I found a strategy on easy mode:
By using the starting money to buy drones and drone factories, and then using the starting ship to defeat the first enemy type, I was able to win 17 battles by stockpiling an army of drones that could kill any ship in one hit. The last ship could kill too many drones in the one round it was operational for the drones to kill it. It also did not work at all on standard mode.
The text I got for making it that far was delightfully ominous! All of the writing was flavorful, if a bit repetitive. I'd love to see more!