The Empire has a foothold in every single star system, whether it be a core world, colony, conquered group, or military outpost. Only the core worlds produce the best starships and tech; the other worlds are struggling to catch up, or even taking different paths. While the official government is an oligarchy, with 7 Immortals on the Immortal Council, the Empire is so vast that the more remote colonies can get away with operating like sovereign states. One of your missions will be to change that.