However, it would be really bad if you dragged a bunch of hostile npcs with you when you arrive at a client's position to refuel them.
If the client isn't pledged to a foreign Power, then those NPCs shouldn't attack the client.
If the client is pledged to a foreign Power, then presumably they were already set up to deal with some power NPCs, may already have some attacking them, and will find that far easier to deal with if they have some fuel.
More importantly, getting interdicted while going to a client who's on emergency oxygen would be extraordinarily bad.
Of course. But the Fuel Rats were founded in version 1.3 (with the release of the Fuel Limpet Controller), and NPCs didn't stop interdicting players
for carrying limpets until version 2.1.05 or so.
The tagline of the organisation during the 1.3-2.1.05 period was not "We have fuel. That system looks a bit rough. Sorry."
As you say, nav-lock makes dropping easy, and presumably SCO expands the drop radius further - you shouldn't
be in supercruise long enough to spawn an NPC that's going to be capable of interdicting you. Some procedures might need a bit of a revision, some fuel rats may decide that they personally don't want to pledge as a result, but by and large it's just going to be a thing the organisation adapts to.
