[Rexxx]

I like C.J. Cherryh (her Sci-Fi work) very much. Especially her books about the Alliance-Union are great. Her basic assumptions that a stellar empire must be based mainly on space stations because most of the planets are unhabitable (if there are any), that FTL space travel is limited to certain routes (between "warp" points) sound "right" for me. What these assumptions mean for warfare, logictics and the administration of an empire is quite well extrapolated.
Downbelow Station comes with a description how life on large carriers/troop transports could be, what kind of battles could evolve between carrier fleets. Still have these descriptions in my mind when I play SE IV. Well, I have to admit that my preference for carrier fleets is based on books I read 20 years ago. Oh my God, I'm old...