Empire & Borders
Every star system you own projects a small border around it. The hexes within 2 hexes of an occupied system count as your territory and take on your empire's colour on the map, even though you haven't built anything there.
How borders form
Each claimed system pushes its empire colour outward to nearby hexes.
A hex inside a border is claimed by that empire but occupied by no one.
Overlap and seniority
When two empires sit close enough that their borders would meet, the older claim wins the disputed hex. Whichever empire planted a flag in that part of the galaxy first holds the borderlands. A newcomer squeezing in next door doesn't get to redraw the map.
This means seniority matters in contested space. The first empire into a region sets the boundary that every later arrival has to fit around.
Seeing borders
Borders are public. Every empire's claimed hexes light up in their colour across the whole galaxy. You always see who holds the borderlands. What an empire has built on a system is the only thing that stays private until you send a Probe; ownership and borders are open.
Territory also determines who holds each sector's bonus. Blanket enough of a sector and the bonus is yours. See Sector Bonus.
