Poltics of the empire

Zerni has a reigning emperor who is a revered figure who is seen as the embodiment of divine harmony, the source of sovereignty, the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people.

Matters of central governance is handed by the Imperial court and its associated ministries which is dominated by the Kuge, the noble clans that dominate both the imperial court and the capital system.

Officially each system in the empire beyond the capital system is appointed a system governor called Kokushi by the Imperial court. Each planet in a system are divided into provinces to which regional governors called Shugo are assigned and further divided into districts governed by stewards called Jito.

In practice however both the Shugo and Jito have long become hereditary positions held by powerful local noble clans. Adding further complexity to the situation is that the economy of Zerni is dominated by five family owned and operated conglomerates that dominate most aspects of the economy and thus wield great power if unofficial power in the empire.