Complex sentence: The Centauri culture, patterned on ancient Rome, is portrayed as an empire in decline; it falls prey to decadence and internal politics even while it hungers to return to its days of glory.
Split into simpler sentences: The Centauri culture, patterned on ancient Rome, is portrayed as an empire in decline. It falls prey to decadence and internal politics even while it hungers to return to its days of glory.