Lazerbrain asks:
>Here's a thought...once the phobia over the Virus fades, what will
>keep the entire Regency, Vargr, and every other sentient along the
>border from mobilizing fleets and literally PLOW back into the
>Imperium?
Short list:
1. Number and type of ships. The Regency Navy has been evolved to
keep a sealed border. These are MUCH different set of ships that
would be used for planetary and system conquest - not to mention
the possibility of fighting major fleet battles.
Further, every time you move your border, you have to guard an
additional system - meaning more guard ships that must be built,
crew hired, and supported. What from? From anything that may
be out there - and as you expand your border in 1 direction, you
have to guard from 3 directions (every direction but behind).
Not everyone in the Regency wants all their income sucked into
taxes to built military spacecraft.
2. Support required. Each time you send your fleet further and
further, you need to support it (meaning more ships used in the
supply line instead of supporting the economy at home). Everytime
you take a planet, you need to maintain the troops you leave on
it. Also, once you start taking junked planets, you need to pour
in resources to rebuild them.
Not everyone in the Regency wants all their income sucked into
taxes to support the military they did not want to buy in the
first place nor to support a large chunk of the old 3Imp!
3. Troops required. Even light occupation forces add up given a lot
of planets. These are troops that will be away for longer and
longer periods of time as you move further away. Each trooper is
someone who cannot help the Regency economy - and needs to be fed,
clothed, armed, and ammoed from Regency factories. The more
planets you occupy simultaneously, the more troops you need. Oh,
and regardless of the TL on the assaulted planets, there will
probably be some casualties. As these mount, these assaults will
lose support.
Not everyone in the Regency wants to grind their children in
Norris's war machine.
4. Time. Pacifying planets takes time. It does not happen over
night. Regency forces cannot go "Hell for leather" too far before
the available forces, transport, supplies are all engaged
somewhere and are forced to wait for some actions to conclude
before continuing. Not to mention a much longer period of time
used to digest and support a given planet so that it is not a
drain on the Regency.
Not everyone in the Regency wants to spend their life in service
on some wreteched wreck of a planet or in jump space.
To sum up briefly, the Regency cannot afford it.
>It all seems rather pointless!
Another reason I did not buy TNE.
Ted7