That’s the one! Strephon and the Imperium could have come straight out of Piper’s description of the Emperor and the Empire itself. The only closer match is the one in E. E. “Doc” Smith’s “Family d’Alembert” series.

I admit that H. Beam Piper is a strong influence on how I run Traveller games...

... much like "gravity is a strong influence on my home decor choices"