Hehe, bleeding ships would be interesting. Maybe some organic race or something.
Come to think of it Shivan ships look slightly organic...
I like the idea of cloud debris fields though. It would add a very big element to the gameplay if you could have small clouds or small nebula in a mission that blocks line of sight and sensors.
Can you imagine how kewl it would be to set up ambushes in nebula clouds. Or being the victim of one?
"Alright Convoy change course to station Polaris, we ne- Oh My God! It's an ambush!"
*Cruiser emerges from giant dust cloud and charges beams*