>1539 Canal and the Swordbreaker come from Lost Universe.
>
>So I've been wondering ... how the heck did Valen know Truss would
>need a ship, and (rather more to the point) why does he care?

If you've seen Babylon 5, you might have an inkling about this.

You'll probably also surmise, as I already have, that this is actually going to be addressed in the future, and it will comprise a significant plot point.

- Sean
"All tribal myths are true, for a given value of 'true.'"
-- Terry Pratchett, from _The Last Continent_