Freelancer/Mission 2

Once you reach level 3, you may fly mission 2 by meeting Juni at the bar. She will provide you details about a smuggler approaching New York from Colorado. Also, when you return to the landing pad, you will encounter your old acquaintance, who appears to be extremely shaken up about Freeport 7, before he is recovered by the Liberty Police.

After launching into space, you will follow the waypoints to the Colorado system, eventually taking a position near the trade gate. When the expected convoy approahces, King will prompt you to scan the cargo - the specific craft to scan is the small DSE fighter. As soon as you scan the ship to see the illegal artifacts, you will get to attack the ship. After the speach of the Unknown DSE Pilot (he gasps at the end of it) you can kill him to get 1-3 artifacts which sell with a nice profit at Manhattan.

However, the vessel isn't the smuggler, and the smuggler also broke through the trap set at Pueblo Station. Fly though the tradelanes and defeat the six Liberty Rogues attacking the station.

Ashcroft's transport was tagged, with the beacon transmitting from an asteroid field. Proceed to the waypoint, and defeat all ships. Ashcroft will try breaking for a jump hole, but when you catch up with him, he will attack with other liberty rogues. Destroy all craft, and tractor Ashcroft into your cargo hold.

Return to New York. When you arrive at Fort Bush, there will be four liberty rogues that attack. When defeated, complete the mission by docking at Batleship Missouri.

Interlude
Now you have access to all of Liberty. Don't bother to visit California yet, as you'll be going there for Mission 3. You probably want to wait for a better shield before going to Texas.

The Silverton asteroid field in Colorado where you just were can be mined for Silver, which is worth $630 on Manhattan, or $713 on California Minor. The Copperton field a bit north can be mined for copper, worth $400 on nearby Pueblo Station.

Conveniently, you'll be going to California Minor for Mission 3, so pick up some Silver before heading back to Manhattan, and then on to California.