Invasion: Methods

 

One of the problems with a small ship universe, such as Traveller, especially one that uses realistic drives is that you can in all probability kiss any space opera style interstellar and interplanetary wars and invasions good bye. empires will grow through diplomacy, economics and technological superiority. Join our Polity and get Quantum computers or be left behind. 

Now don't get me wrong, cloak and dagger stuff breeds in such an environment. Cloak and dagger is an equal opportunity employer for the naughty people we play. Sometimes though you just want ships to darken the sky, missiles to rain on the evil doers and landing ships to shake the ground (oooh I get all jumpy just thinking that!) How can we save our invasions!

1) Wormholes: A natural ftl path exists between two strategic systems, and maybe others. Any ship can transit this. Screw the one week in jump rule. You travel instantaneously. Note this sort of thing makes the wormhole itself a vital resource. If your current drives have finite speed and wormhole has near infinite, you will want to research that puppy, and keep others from doing the same.

2) Stargates: Stargates are much beloved of the Mass Effect franchise, though called mass relays. While ships can have FTL drives, travel between mass relays almost instantaneously. Again this is a step towards making FTL travel easier. The mass relays were the relics of an ancient empire (tm) and not completely understood, or mapped. 

3) The Long View: The invaders amass a huge force, but travel slower than light. Perhaps that extinct race of conquerers was only playing dead. Now waves upon waves of asteroid ships plow into a virgin star system to begin a new civilization. Then only problem is, you're there, and been there for a few centuries. Niven and Pournelle's Footfall deals with just this. Aliens researched the earth in the sixteenth century didn't stick around long enough to get an idea of human progress. They arrive again in the modern day and are horrified to discover we have LCD watches and nukes!

4) In Situ Resource Utilization: This will make any invasion easier but it may be necessary for people on a budget (delta vee or $$$). Set up a factory near your target to keep your invasion force in supply. If you're using real-replicating machines this is SOP. You trust those machines, right? If all goes well and your supply system is not bombed into oblivion you have a credible fleet to challenge those upstarts!

5) Trojan Robot: Highly advanced cultures may use Mal-wares, like robots that are programed to cause sabotage and otherwise aid an invader. This of course requires friendly relations at first, or a third party.  This might bleed into #3 above, if you use your saboteurs to build more robots and tools or war. Again make sure your Skynet doesn't slip its leash.

6) Germ Warfare: Imagine an invader that lets loose a horrible plague (I'm not saying it's zombies but it probably is zombies) and offers a cure in exchange for unconditional surrender. Extra points if the zombies have no stomach for offworld food. All they need are military police to disarm the new subjects and medical teams to end the pandemic. What? Some people won't accept the cure? That's always the way. 

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