I decided to pull the trigger, pick up the Directorate Starter Fleet, and reread the rules until I can become a Vanguard. My area needs one, and I badly want to have a community to play space games with. I think my fleet will look a lot like yours: grey base, green engine glow, red/orange color to distinguish ships and squadrons. I'm going to try to distinguish between the heavy front plates and the central/rear areas, though. Probably I'll make the plates a mid-grey and the central/rear areas black - I've gotten pretty good at painting black using a black base, charcoal highlights, and then a black wash to smooth it out. With all those little fiddly bits and ridges, those areas are a good candidate for that sort of treatment.
That scheme should also contrast nicely with my Aquans, who are going to get the virdigreed copper treatment with teal as a spot color and a red/purple engine glow. All metallic, nice and shiny, with a certain watery look to them.
I'll probably also steal your idea of naming the ships after the last names of the dudes at my FLGSs.