Here's a complicated answer.
a:
Your book strikes closer to Star Trek in tech and terminology (eg tractor beams, shields, beaming (which you renamed but follow the same rules), food dispensers (which you also renamed but are similarly infinite)). Do i recall correctly that Tlaan even has a positronic brain?. As such, you can benefit from renaming to help you escape established principles. The more "Common" your terms, the closer you will land to Star Trek, and once you land there, you won't be able to escape.
b:
In Rachel's stories I would suggest the opposite. She has so much meta-data within her stories (eg Goblin Fire) that maybe a tractor beam really is just a tractor beam so that there's more room for other terms to shine. In my own stories, I'm careful to avoid common terms like "mind trick" or "lightsword" for the same reasons I suggest to Bobbie.
c:
I'm halfway through book 2 and can confidently say you 100% do not need tractor beams. You could just have the aggressor ship disable the weaker ship and space-dock it for a boarding party. Remember Star Wars I (or IV or whatever number it is now) when Vader does this and capture Leia? This scene is just as cool as a tractor beam and a lot of fun
