Nobody attacked you Slick, although I was considering it, and would have taken over your Empire if it wasn't for the East Alliance which was slightly more dangerous. I don't know how was your Empire when you left it, but it did suffer from AI leadership and was much weaker at the end of the game according to my intelligence.
My own Empire was built over a gold mine, with the Talisman and a lot of systems (only Kilrah had more systems, and the Swedes had about as many), and they could have been quite a lot stronger without the AI leadership and my own silliness. They were mainly behind in technology and space yards, and so had a few hundred outdated light cruisers. (About 400 equipped with PPB, with effective APB coming Online a few turns later.) Does anyone know a good course for this subject: "How to properly rule an Empire in the age of space travel"? Thanks in advance.