[Taqwus]

Because you may not be able to get close enough to do more damage if your opponent can dish it out while staying at his maximum weapons range; you may want to avoid some of the nastier short-range weaponry like allegiance shifters, mind flailers and ionic dispersers, as well. And if you are fairly far from your nearest shipyard, you may want to avoid a close-up fight to minimize the probability you need to return for repairs.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night