Thanks for the info! I'm definitely trying to find a way to encounter as little warfare as possible, keeping enemies and allies at ease through diplomatic practices. Since I haven't had a chance to play yet, I'm not sure how I'll feel about the current trade system, however, I've looked at the wiki a bit more and can say that teleporting my goods might be good enough.

As for renting out jumpgates, sounds awesome. I especially want to set my own rates, just so I have even more control over the leverage I have on the players I deal with.