Cargo value and the choice between escorts and dispersed shipping

The value of a cargo affects how much protection its owner can justify. An expensive armed merchantman makes more sense for valuable goods, while paying an attacker to leave can cost less for a lower-value cargo. The panel then considers dispersed shipping as an alternative to convoys, especially where individual vessels can limit emissions and avoid detection. Short-range jumps or an ability to interrupt faster-than-light travel would instead create places where raiders could intercept traffic. Convoy protection therefore depends on both the economics of the cargo and the fictional rules that make interception possible.