Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)
I'm actually in the middle of plotting out a lore rewrite. In short, they call themselves an Imperium, but that name has about as much meaning as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. They manage to hold on to a small set of well-protected worlds, thereby avoiding being taken out by the Hegemony without needing to rely on the League, but even this is mostly just a matter of luck and circumstance.Basically, they put on a show of perceived strength and showmanship with big flashy capitals and superweapons, but have trouble projecting this force without bankrupting themselves. They're really a lot more fragile than this firepower suggests, and it's why they have a lot of defensive fleets (including the huge defensive array around Nova Capitalis). The siege event will still exist; however, the rationale for embarking on sieges is to force an economic surrender from the market being blockaded, hauling back expensive goods and lots of credits. It's little better than piracy.
I reeeeeally like it, and it helps to solve the long standing "lore purist" issue II had for so long as a monolith equal in power to Hedgemony.