With the increasing difficulty in some open space sectors, it would be nice to be able to summon AI guardians to protect you in space. Some of them could be found as random encounters, and others could be bought on a contract. Either way, they should have great firepower and durability, so that they don’t get blown away the first time a coil mortar barrage hits them.
It would also be cool to have the ability to undock with your “fleet” each time you went in to a new sector, and be able to swap between the ships as needed; both to store items and to fight.