Sheeeeeeeeesh.
Look, I can take a voinian dreadnaught down in a scoutship. That does not make the UE a better gov to side with.
We all have our personal opinions about this... yes, in AI battles, Zidara easily overpower the other ships, because that phased beamer is pretty damn wicked. However, they, as computers, get to use it far too much. I captured a Zidara and gave a little test to the beamer... it drained ALL of my fuel in 2 seconds. The comps leave it on for a very, very long time.
But, whatever. It doesn't matter if you can kill them with 5 phase/neutron turrets before they even reach you
So, in conclusion... everyone has their own favorite strand to side with... for me, personally, it's the Iggies. Powerful ships, powerful weapons, and the only place where they have a weakness (fighter swarms), has a great anti-weakness-weapon (heh), the Siphon.
Enjoy.
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"Are you sure this is a good idea, Boss?"
"Of course not, don't ask stupid questions"
"Sorry"
-- Loiosh & Vlad --