Like, are they roaming merchants or something?

The EV manual hasn't described in detail the finer points of interstellar commerce, so I'm not sure if I'm able to buy stuff directly from Trader ships that I pass by (say, for instance, a traveling salesman has a unique variant of a weapon or something for sale out the boot of his ship).

Also, more than once I'm a little late riding to the rescue of vessels under fire from Pirates, and they're disabled by the time I do away with the offending ship. Is there a way to offer repair and fuel for a premium, the same way I had to "Request Assistance" more than a few times before?

The answer to both questions is no. You cannot buy weapons or goods from other ships (merchant or not) and you cannot offer repairs to a disabled vessel. You can board the vessel, loot it, and try to capture it. If you do capture it, you can then release it and tell yourself the loot gained was payment for repairs. The ship will not attack you when you release it. However, any Rebels or Confeds in the area may attack you for boarding the ship since you're not really offering assistance in their eyes.

** Edit:** If you want to buy and sell goods, go to the Trade Center. Buy things that say 'low' next o the price and sell them on other worlds where it says 'high' next to the price. If you ask me, though, it doesn't pay as much as missions from the Mission BBS unless you fly a freighter or have freighters as escorts.

This post has been edited by DarthKev : 20 August 2010 - 11:37 PM