Distributed gunboats for Castle Federation capital ships

What changes would improve Castle Federation ships?

Add detachable gunboats for screening and independent local operations; compatible distributed drives might also let several assist a damaged mothership.

Large Castle Federation ships benefit from the economies of scale associated with their engines. Detachable corvette or gunboat-sized craft could travel with them, then provide a tougher defensive screen than fighters or operate independently within a system. The distributed class-one mass-manipulation system acquired from pirates suggests another possibility: expensive small warships working together in squadrons. Using those craft to move a damaged mothership remains disputed because the system apparently has to be designed into the participating ships from the outset. The towing proposal therefore assumes compatible craft and attachment points.