[Not sure how to respond to two posts at once, but ...]

'Exploration not military uses' doesn't hold a lot of water. I get that was the whole premise of the Initiative as a civilian operation, and they would not have open access to military-grade arms and armor. My question remains - if the Initiative was so dead-set against violence, why bother devoting precious space to arms and armor or made use of trained military personnel aside from the Pathfinder? Even a lightly-armored ship might have fared somewhat better against the Scourge and even one thanix could prove useful maneuvering in asteroid fields.

As for the Nomad ... shields are fine, but I'd also like a little armor and at least one weapon for hostile space bears (and maybe the occasionally annoying kett camp).

Euderion has a point - Let both vehicles be customize-able. So if the player wants to buff defensive or offensive capabilities is personal choice.