Yeah my KDF Orion got to level 50 without a fleet ages ago, and I got to Level 23 last night on my Romulan. I pretty much play casual.
You have a level 50 fleetless Orion, too? Female? What career branch?
I hardly play her right now because I'm so busy with Fed Reborn's fleet projects, but Rhyannha (Science Officer) was my first KDF toon. She was supposed to be team support, but I ended up basically soloing her.
Y'know, we don't have to form a hardcore KDF fleet with starbases and all the trimmings and the headache of trying to maintain it all. A loose collective (
not Borg!) with a mutual assistance pact would be fine, too. Something to consider.