I agree, Black Sea got the wrong rep. Plus we hear the corporation is in much decline, too. One thing is Expedition made by rich and high tech Northerners, another is a poor "corporation" from the South.
Though this makes me wonder if there could be another thing possible to do with the Protector, given incoming expansion: the trailer explicitly mentions that having a team mate is now a thing. So, how about letting highly-skilled craftsmen (say, 200+ effective Hacking, Electronics and Mechanics all together while on the island) to reprogram the thing to follow and fight for player character? Could possibly transport it by towing some big-time ski with the Freighter, while having the Protector "loaded" into the former, too.
Now _that_ would be mighty nice, having "pacifist" / "mercantile" characters in mind. I betcha this is hella long shot, though, for balance reasons...