JMISBEST said:
Its not that they don't want to conquer The Imperium, its just that given the size of their Empire, 1 million+ worlds, 130,000+ Star Systems, 29,000 odd Subsectors, 2,800 odd Sectors, more then 2 dozen galaxies
You do realize how huge a single galaxy is, right? Even a "small" galaxy? Our Milky Way galaxy, which is basically your utterly average 3BR, 2BATH tract house in the surburbs of galaxies, contains some 100 billion stars (though some estimates say four times that). Assuming 24 galaxies @ 100 billion stars each, that's 2,400,000,000,000 stars. Each Sector of this uber-empire would contain 857,142,857 stars. Each Sector would contain 82,578,620 stars. Assuming Traveller rates of habitable worlds, you're going to hit 1 million habitable worlds without even leaving a subsector.
If the sectors and subsectors instead are Traveller-sized, that suggests the uber-empire probably doesn't control all of any galaxy - perhaps they use some sort of wormhole / stargate technology and are so clustered around the wormholes/stargates so the overwhelming majority of those two dozen+ galaxies are actually unclaimed?
These kinds of considerations are important because it'd shape how the Imperium would react.
The Imperium, through its long histories, is well-aware these kinds of situations exist.
After the initial "LETS FITE" collective desperation wears off, they'd probably adopt a multi-prong approach. Human history teaches us that they'd have to grab whatever straws they can to buy time so that the Imperium can close the technological gap between them and the uber-Empire as fast as possible before they're dismembered. There'd be a lot of discussion of the situation of Japan in 1868 AD as well the advantages of export-led growth, technological diffusion, and so on.
* Diplomacy. Diplomacy is the friend of the weaker states. If you can get the other side to talk, you've already made progress. The Imperium desperately needs information at this sudden 500-pound gorilla that's suddenly stomped into the room.
- How strong are they? How much of these so-called two dozen galaxies do they really control? How tight is their grip?
- How militaristic? The Imperium already knows that the uber-Empire is hesitant to conquer the Imperium because they fear internal instability; the Imperium would likely feel how exactly what would push this uber-Empire to war so at least they know what they need to avoid doing.
- Just how far ahead are they technologically? How well-distributed is this technology among its peoples?
- What is the economic situation with them? Do they have scarcity? Markets? How is trade regulated? Can we trade with them? If we can, what can we trade?
* Allies. The Imperium would be well-aware their traditional rivals in their old haunts are going to be aware of this uber-Empire as well. They're if not, it'd be in the Imperium's interests to be the ones to tell them - information wants to be free and eventually their neighbors will find out. There is NO WAY the Imperium is going have some ridiculous conspiracy theory level "secret relations" with this uber-Empire. Since they can't conceal this fact from their neighbors it's better to exploit the power in being the ones who tell the Solomani, Hivers, etc. about this new power. The Imperium would likely try and form some sort of alliance with this uber-state and if this state isn't interested in that, then with this state's other neighbors and smaller rivals of which it's likely to have many.
* Trade. The Imperium is going to aggressively pursue trade with uber-Empire's citizens. While you might imagine that this uber-Empire at large might not have anything to gain trading with the Imperium (and you'd be right), there's always going to be smaller groups or individuals in this uber-Empire who will be open to trade - perhaps some world on the edge of this uber-Empire particularly needs tin or platinum or something similar. Who knows, if there's something they want, the Imperium will encourage its own merchants to fulfill that need. In return, they'd want TL22 technological doodads from this uber-Empire. If possible deals would be sealed for production of devices in the Imperium, technical training, and similar things. In such an uber-Empire, it's likely someone is over there is going to be willing to trade knowledge.
No matter how much your uber-empire doesn't want to expand, it is a grave threat to the Imperium and the Imperium will have very little ability to do anything about it. The technology gap is simply too wide, unless the technology gap between what is possible in this uber-empire and what actually exists in quantity is huge (eg; some units in the Galactic Empire's Navy have TL22, but average citizen has access to TL14 at best for whatever reason).
The invasion of this uber-Empire will not be led by its armed forces, but by its corporations (or equivalent), settlers, and similar types. Greed would be an overwhelming characteristic of this uber-Empire - even if some (or most) species have achieved some sort of philosophy of post-scarcity, with so many individuals, cultures, and species, there's always going to be those who want more. This limitless covetousness is going to mean that even with the unthinkable to resources of the uber-Empire, all of its resources will be controlled, regulated, and answered for by
someone even if it just to say "no, you can't use it, we're conserving it." This means that newer generations are always going to be pushing outwards, forever looking for new resources to exploit, new markets to expand into, and so on. That's exactly what Known Space would become. TL22 vs. TL15 would be akin to a modern 21st century people encountering Aztecs or something. Human history is replete with what happens when there's a completely unregulated new market and the natives are too weak to resist you so you can do whatever you want - even if 99 of every 100 of the uber-Empire's merchants are models of integrity and believers in the brotherhood of sentient species, that one guy is going to gain a huge advantage by not being that way. And it's likely those types are going to be more common than just 1 in 100; once they figure out how primitive the Imperium is compared to them, there's a real danger of an open season. It'll be particularly bad because you suggest your uber-Empire has some concerns controlling its existing Empire - if there are races or groups jockeying for power in the uber-Empire, then they're all the more likely to bankroll mercenaries, adventurers, and "traders" to go set up their "East India Company" and "VOC" and so on in the Imperium if only to gain wealth for power battles in the uber-Empire.
This kind of invasion would lead to a catch-22 for the uber-Empire. Their "adventurers" will pillage the Imperium unless stopped. A TL15 can harm TL22 things. Once the "citizens" of this uber-Empire are harmed in the Imperium, then the groups bankrolling them can ask the rulers of the uber-Empire, "Why aren't you protecting our citizens?" - The uber-empire's current regime can ignore it (and thus appear weak, which would be bad) or they'd have to punatively punish the Imperium (think China during the "Century of Shame"). Similarly, once the uber-Empire is known and how powerless the Imperium is towards it, all kinds of restive populations in the Imperium are likely to rise in revolt - there's no point in being part of the Imperium if it can't protect you. It's likely the uber-Empire will end up de facto conquering the Imperium or literally doing it, over the course of decades in dibs and dobs even though neither group really wanted the war.
