Force-projection technology was utilized by the grubs to create barriers, referred to as armouring skein by them, to protect their void warrens. It was possible to use the projection of a force-barrier as a weapon -- to cause collisions -- but it appeared to be increasingly difficult to do so the further the away the barrier was projected.
The force-projection machinery aboard grub vessels did not simply create a barrier that was either on or off, as damaged void warrens could form partial armour skeins. However, it was stated by Traveling Fearlessly that anything short of a complete force-barrier was totally ineffective against the Inhibitors, as they possessed the ability to "see the holes".
Notes[]
- Its effective range when functioning perfectly is unknown, as the only example was it being used was by a damaged void warren.
- The example indicated that a shuttle-sized barrier projected to less than half a light-second distant - an extremely short range for a starship weapon in the Revelation Space Universe - caused the user pain and required intense concentration. This, coupled with the fact that Traveling Fearlessly never actually characterized it as a weapon, suggest that it was rarely if ever used as one by the grubs and was purely defensive in nature.