Quoted By:
<span class="mu-g">”What!? The Consortium's technology in warfare is supposed to be behind ours- and we can't even build one! How could this be?! How did they find out?”</span>
“The Biobots are not sure. They have infiltrated many small and mid level administrative and service industries nearby the war front- none able to infiltrate the highest levels of the Consortium's military. They only found the project by shipping manifests- seeing that all delivers sent thru a specific system were just a few micro-units heavier then the average. They suspected these packages have tracking devices on them to prevent them from being lost- and when triangulating the area all of these delivers pass thru- they come to one uninhabited star system. They are building a <span class="mu-s">prototype</span> hidden within a nebula, something that they can only build one of- a unique specimen- specially ordered with no expense spared.”
<span class="mu-g">”But how can they build it in the first place? Their technology...”</span>
“The Consortium should not have the technology needed to build a Battleship, but we have a theory. It seems highly likely that the network of space worms, the diplomats and advisors to the business interests of the Consortium, are in league with the Esaal- stealing or borrowing their technology for the purposes of winning this war against the Hegemony.”
<span class="mu-g">”...Have the Esaal betrayed us, then? Will they attack us at the same time- to destroy us utterly in a two pronged assault?”</span>
“We do not think so. The Esaal are a bit too honorably, and frankly, blunt to perform such subterfuge. The worms may simply be applying some pressure here and there- helping each other using their special form of Starsight communication to build this ship. It stands to reason that <span class="mu-i">destroying the prototype</span> or <span class="mu-i">killing the individuals responsible</span> will end the project permanently. They will not have time or budget to produce another before their attack preparations are complete.”
<span class="mu-g">”I can't... I can't believe this... This is bad. Is there any chance of holding The Stand against a completed Battleship?”</span>
“It will increase their fleet power project by two-times. So in simple terms? No.”
