Stations and Cryochambers

Supposedly we're able to get some kind of ransom out of prisoners, but I haven't bothered to figure it out. Capture and recruit somehow seems much simpler. It must be due to the quality of conversations other ships have with me when I hail them.
In any case, I want to get around 8-10 crew ASAP. 4-6 is not nearly enough to run a large 2x2 ship with industry, grow beds, and armaments. I feel once I have that many I can relax and think about the broader picture.

It would be cool to find stations along the journey. Thematically I imagine them as trading, manufacturing, and construction centers, the places to go to drop off raw resources and buy finished goods. They could be a wide range of sizes, too.