Hey, welcome to the world of Cyber Nations.
Like you said, you need an alliance to help you start. The Terran Empire, the alliance I'm in, doesn't offer 3 million for joining, [b][i]BUT[/b][/i] we do offer tech trades (3 million for 50 tech, approximately 2 million profit per trade) and trade circles for new members. But if that doesn't interest you, there are some other reasons:
WE have a very active forum with the friendliest members and one of the best spam & games sections in all of CN. I've gotten 200 posts in a month. And if you want a government position, we have openings all the time.
Trust me: You'll learn a great deal about Cyber Nations while having fun doing it. So check out our forums at http://s1.zetaboards.com/CN_Terran_Empire/index/
If you have any questions just ask me.
Sincerely,
Kael Istari
The Terran Empire