[TML] Prototype

[Richard Aiken]

On Nov 7, 2007 10:48 PM, Jerry W Barrington <jursamaj at yahoo.com> wrote:
> In a vast Imperium, environmental stability is horrifically
> improbable.  The environment includes all those other, surrounding empires.

Actually, I think part of the premise of the background is that the
Vilani were the first race to develop jump drive (after the Ancients
had departed the scene).  Odd, that.  The most
technologically-conservative race is the first one off the blocks with
jump drive.  But there it is.

Once the Vilani had jump, what they then tried to do was keep anyone
else they knew about for also figuring it out.  As long as they could
do *that,* then their environment was effectively stable.  It didn't
matter how many nukes Planet X had, just as long as the Xians couldn't
build a jump navy with which to carry these around.

And you're right, BTW.  The Vilani Imperium began to fall apart as
soon as their tech monopoly began to break down.  The VI was already
well on the way to collapsing by the time the Terrans came on the
scene.

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein