Imperial Era

Two planets became dominant during the Imperial Era. Mercury's trade empire eclipsed the Inner World, and then spread all the way out to the very edge of the Sol System. Their outermost tradeport was on Pluto. Neptune spread out in a different direction, rather than going inwards they conquered and colonized asteroids and dwarf planets in the kuiper belt. Each the largest empire in their own way, the two did not come to direct blows. Their goals were seperate and they found eachother to be good allies.
  The empire of Neptune was controlled firmly by the Empress of Neptune, while the trade empire of Neptune was more like a conglomeration or confederation of different tradeports. Goods travelled with the fleet, and the narrative surrounding the merchant empire is that the goods led native nations to be largely positive to the mercurians. They had a larger presence on the moons than on the planets themselves, and that was not always peaceful.
 

Tyranny of Godqueens

Venus Crownlands

Palace poisonings