I am not sure where you would like to have the maintenance at, but as I said at a 5% gain, you are still about at v3.02 levels.
Again, the Base Maintenance Cost Setting are the same, just the threshold costs up and the percentage has been lowered to 5% as opposed to v3.02 10%.
You may add to your maintenance abilities, Alneyan and possibly gaining a advantage by choosing:
1: The Crystalline Racial Trait that may save you an additional 20% towards in System maintenance costs.
2: The Engineers Culture gains an additional 5 towards Maintenance costs.
3: The AIC alternate Workers Culture gains an additional 6 Towards Maintenance costs.
If that is not enough, there is always the FREE AIC Human Player Starting Option:
(o2) Increased amount of Cultural Centers start on your Home World and the Ability to build many more Resource Settlements on Colonial Worlds
(o3) Excellent Advantage for a much higher proportions of resources in your game over 150% higher
- - -
With AIC v4.0, you may notice an increase of near 40% towards Mineral Gathering Facilities over v3.02 may offset the 5% Maintenance Threshold a bit 
I do not know how many defense bases will hold up in the late game against the AI; but a Mobile fleet of just 10 lvl III light cruisers for example:
Please let’s look at the Numbers: an average 10 CL Squadron is the equivalent of
Average Level III CL = 1750 to 2000 per for a Total 17500 to 20000 Minerals.
AIC v4.0...
One Average (good) Medium Breathable Mineral Planet at 105% and all else even. With 16 Mining Settlement @ 600x16= 10,080. With 16 Mining Colonies@750= 12,600 and with 16 Mining Complex= 16,8000, not even counting Planet happiness levels or your Racial Culture Traits.
Now introduce Industrial Centers and Industrial Complex above can increase as high as 30% upon 30% of that total. At level III Mineral Colonies, and a Level II Industrial Center; respectfully may yield 14,000 and with (o2) this may exceed 21,000 plus output of Minerals; from just one Medium Mining Colony in a well Colonized System. A Large Mining Colony would yield a much larger amount etc.
With this said, you only need One Medium and One Small Breathable Mining Colony (not even to count your Home World) to produce the required Minerals for just the Squadron of 10 CLS.
Also to Consider your
Trade Dividends with other Empires this is easily obtainable and to also consider there are many more Planets out there for you to still invest in,
also to mention asteroid mining, surplus resource trading at your Trade Center or with a direct offer to another Race and/or pure intimidation to gain extra needed recourses.
The Key is to plan your Technology to improve your Economy to be able to afford Ships and to maintain the building of Facilities, Cities and infrastructure to afford more Ships to gain control of more Systems to repeat this process
[ October 24, 2003, 17:52: Message edited by: JLS ]