NARRATOR: Aboard the mercenary flagship Broken Wind...
KATHRYN: Remember when you asked why the Esspererin don't rule all of space?
CDRE TAGON: Yes. I'm still wondering that, Lieutenant.
KATHRYN: It says here that they have a technology taboo about stuff they didn't grow themselves.
They can't grow annie plants, so their "Rule All of Space" tech lags way behind everybody else's.
CDRE TAGON: There were annie plants on the Oshka-Kree pirate ship we fought in Celeschul.
KATHRYN: The Oshka-Kree are Esspererin pirates.
CDRE TAGON: New question: why don't the Esspererin pirates rule all of space?