The newly founded Imperium was quickly deemed enemy number one for the outer powers, with even more now charging into their old territories and heading towards Earth.
This allowed the other federation members to rebuild, and with the help of the Imperium, create their own advanced weaponry that could now be used against the outer powers.
Now pushed back due to the sheer weight of numbers, the outer powers were forced to spread themselves thin, as any attempts to attack federation planets proved challenging thanks to Vietcong tactics the humans spread to their new allies and a few new tactics the humans were taught by their allies.
The outer powers were forced to a standstill, and some of them backed out while they still could. Cutting their losses and recovering from the bitter defeats they suffered.
Others swung in the exact opposite direction, sending even more fleets in and attacking with more vigor, which was met with some successes, but not enough to swing the war back in their favor.
Now with their own enemies knocking on their doors, the remaining ones also pulled out, the now undefended territories were swiftly conquered by the federations, the subjected nations were liberated and each champion set up their own new puppet regimes in these nations, expanding their already great influence even further.
trade and diplomacy flourished once more, and the Imperium absorbed all of its subjects in a slow and controlled manner, the pressure put on the bureaucrats of the Imperium was immense, but it was worth it in the end.
At the end of ten years, the Azburgian Galactic Imperium was the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the Orion arm.
The technology given to them by their advanced ally was fully understood, and even improved upon by their scientists, the human understanding of the cosmos only sped up further and further, as human ingenuity with artificial intellect worked to make a stronger humanity.
Their federation allies all also went into their own golden ages, as even the martial civilizations found great wealth and excitement in bandit hunting and looting.
Humans spread even further into the Orion arm, and humans now lived in every corner, a few of which were spies sent out to gather information, but nothing of interest was found.
Adventurer and exploration-focused agencies were spread, with most becoming international, the discoveries found in them were of ground-shaking importance and many revolutionized scientific understandings.
One of them was the new SSD, or Super Stellar Drive as it is officially referred to, and it allowed the Imperium to annex its subjects without making it completely impossible to travel, relieving the Imperator, Adam Valencia the Great, of an even greater headache.
The years were surprisingly peaceful, with the greatest challenges being ones that could be easily solved with diplomacy and cooperation, the Orion Arm finally had time to recover.
Planets recovered their population, or at least have begun the process of doing so.
The constant warfare has inevitably severely damaged the imperium's population numbers-wise, and many families were now without a father figure in them, which proper up many concerns for the health of the children in those families.
All such issues could be solved with a more relaxed and cautious approach now that extinction wasn't constantly trying to shove its head into the room, and many policies made to encourage more births were created.
As some of the soldiers were still thirsty for Xeno blood, mercenary enclaves were created and lent their services for high prices, earning the Azburgian treasury even more gold as these people paid taxes to the crown for their existence.
Adam had a short break for himself and his wife, as was deserved considering the sheer scale of the challenges they have been faced with.
Of course, Adam's ambitions did not just disappear, he constantly made moves in the shadows to gain more power in the federation and turn it into a tool for the Imperium to use.
The other nations were doing the same, with some more successful than others, and the federation's politics reflected this.
The Azburgian spy network became something to be feared publicly now, with many aware of it but never knowing if they were around them, it spiked much paranoia within the upper echelons of these countries.
Now with the power game moving into diplomacy, new avenues would have to be covered, allies made, and careful planning was in order.
Things could no longer be easily solved with violence, and Adam felt a headache just thinking about the hundreds of things he still had to do in order to realize his ambitions.
A new era has begun for the Azburgian Galactic Imperium, and it is yet to be seen if it could live up to the name.