Pourne, Drinax and Asim

[PsiTraveller]

I have a question about the Drinax campaign. Drinax captured Asim 20 years ago and have used them for a food supply ever since.

In the Traveller wiki Asim is a settlement of Pourne.
Pourne is a J1 capable planet, J1 from Drinax with 900 million people living on a fluidic Hellworld. Their Tech base is 10 and they have a Class A Starport. How have they not rolled over Drinax and recaptured Asim?

Has anyone thought about this? What is holding them back?

 

[allanimal]

Pirates of Drinax chapter 7 describes Pourne, and it doesn't come out and say it, it sounds like the rulers are xenophobic and isolationist.

Because they can get everything they need via trade, the rulers of Pourne would rather stay out of other planets business. And they feel everyone else should stay the heck out if theirs.

At least that's my take from the brief paragraph in Chapter 7...

 

[JMISBEST]

Maybe Drinax bought Pourne off with advanced tech. After all a lot changes in 20 years. Maybe Oleb was a better politician back then

 

[locarno24]

Oleb is loud and brash but he's still smart today....

Partly it's probably a case of fear. Yes, they could probably take Drinax if they were prepared to throw everything into it; but throwing TL10 ships at TL15+ ships is an easy way to loose your entire fleet - the star guard may not have much in the way of "proper" warships but you don't need it with that kind of edge.

Secondly, we don't know if they've got the resources to mount that kind of a campaign; whilst securing a food source would cut the cost of sustaining their world, they may not - at the moment - be prepared to/able to raise the billions of credits such an undertaking would cost, because simply continuing to exist on a world may soak up most of the planet's GDP, especially if they're now having to buy food in!
Say "we're going to take back Pourne - we just need to stop using the food and life sustainment budget by...let's say 65% for four months" and see how quickly you have a revolt leading to all-out civil war on your hands!

Thirdly, as noted, Oleb may have paid them off - or, more deviously, paid off enough internal factions to keep the government paralysed. I doubt it'd be with advanced tech, though. High TL tech is Drinax' one sustainable advantage, whilst priceless works of art and their associated cash value are available by emptying out the drawers in any spare room of the floating palace.

 

[Jame Rowe]

Thirdly, as noted, Oleb may have paid them off - or, more deviously, paid off enough internal factions to keep the government paralysed. I doubt it'd be with advanced tech, though. High TL tech is Drinax' one sustainable advantage, whilst priceless works of art and their associated cash value are available by emptying out the drawers in any spare room of the floating palace.

He can give them TL 12 stuff, certainly. He may also have enough of a navy to be able to threaten them with blasting open their habitats.

Also, I believe that PournELLE was somewhat different in Third Imperium magazine.