Trader A, who has a RP agreement with a Corsair faction member/player rocks up to Crete to drop off his shipment. Indie Corsair says "Hey, stop, im taxing you"
trader makes a run for it, claiming "im allowed Elder so and so and i have an understanding". Indie Corsair doesnt know who indie so and so is, so he /attacks. Trader dies.
Trader complains to Elder so and so.... Indie is this snapped for messing with the trader.... we get another "civil war" and the 30 odd sanction reports that came out of that alone....
you see my point.
Well it's not as if NPC are going to totally wtfpwnrape someone. It's a tiny bonus at best, and more in the spirit of RP + locking bases. NPC (with the exception of battleship patrols) rarely any effect. I've seen dozens of traders hostile to Corsairs fly to Crete, drop their cargo of food rations, and leave, the whole time under fire from corsair NPC, no significant effect on him. It's not as if /attack is going to significantly affect fights, is my point.