It was getting pirated in Cali at the time, not sure what the outcome was. The Captain was a little aggrieved as I recall.
Back on topic, Eppy may be thinking only about himself, but that doesn't make his point any less valid.
The Royal Liner is more expensive and has less cargo and less guns than a slave liner. It does have 20k more armor...
Slave liners are being discarded (in some circles) in favour of Shires and in some cases Whales.
I can see an argument for a general upgrade to gunboat shields and perhaps, in the case of the Royal Liner, cruiser shields.
Now, before I get "linerspam" in response to this post, how many IDs can use the Royal Liner? It can easily be removed from any ID that has a generic "Liners" allowance.
Also, anyone that flies a Liner is already compromising profits in favor or RP (or possibly more firepower, or both). Is it really such a stretch to give them some beneift in return?
