A better system for combat

[Dragonlord]

I like the idea of defenders going first, defenders being the ones who sit still on the warppoint, attackers the ones who try to break through. I also like the idea of simply separateing the fleets and make each fleet start at opposite ends of the combat screen.
I hate the solution of random decisions on who goes first. It would make my military victories/losses MUCH more dependant on luck, and not on skill/ship design.