Most Terrible Intelligence

[full title: The Most Terrible Intelligence Imaginable]
[a cookie for whoever gets the reference]

"Have sighted unidentified skyship approaching Nexus airspace. Configuration is... strange. Changing course to intercept. Time to contact: twelve minutes."

- last recorded transmission of Commonwealth Dreadnought Cetnyakov

Close-up view of a Malignance swarmship, illustrating broadside turrets and the vessel's "eye". Exact nature of the ship's sensory and cognitive abilities unknown. Intelligence presumed to be very high.

Inspirations, inspirations... there's a little bit from most of my major fandoms in this ship. Most obvious reference in this shot is the red, cyclopean "eye", a clear tip of the hat to the Cylons of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series (Awesome show, by the way. If you haven't seen it yet, do so immediately!) The odd spikes and protrusions are reminiscent of the Shadows of Babylon 5 (another sci-fi series, also highly recommended), as is the whole concept of a living ship. The concept of skyships in general is mostly from Disney's Treasure Planet (y'know, just assume that I'm going to recommend all my fandoms), although I actually came up with the idea long before I saw the movie. But putting them all together... that's what happens when you've got a ME with too much time on his hands and no Chloe to keep him distracted.