The Autonomous Zones

As human settlement and terraforming occurred across the galaxy, a wide variety of societies formed. Their cultural traditions varied wildly. Some were basically private corporations masquerading as independent societies. Basically company towns on the edge of society. Others were basically pilgrimages of groups that could afford to leave Antaizon but found their economic opportunities limited in Antaizon. And a third were colonization projects that were sponsored and developed by the Antaizon government. The third group integrated into the Antaizon government almost immediately. The first two groups were tricky. Sometimes, the Antaizon government basically bought out certain planets, converting settlements into Antaizon States in exchange for financial concessions to certain leaders. Others were overthrown by Antaizon internal police actions, though this could be quite controversial.
Other groups were strong enough that they could extract concessions from the Antaizon government. These became autonomous zones. These zones were planets or systems where certain territories joined the Antaizon Government in exchange for a degree of independence from the central government. In short, the Autonomous Zone would have certain obligations to the central government.
Callahan was part of the Lyonsend Autonomous Zone. The settlers of the Lyonsend Autonomous Zone were hired by land speculators. They were hired to lay claim to pieces of land on behalf of a wealthy benefactor. They were pioneers who terraformed and excavated the land, planted crops, and passed on a hefty chunk of the profits to investors.
So... whose land is it? Antaizon never claimed it, nor did any other nation. Those who settled the land were often paid to renounce their citizenship so that no one nation of Antaizon could lay claim to the land.
Autonomous Zones, particularly ones who produced valuable goods, were given wide latitude to craft their own labor regulations, which prompted immense controversies. Following the Antaizon Revolution, there was a huge push to force Autonomous Zones to accept labor reforms, including the rejection of slavery and indentured servitude and a rollback on prison labor. Despite lofty promises of the Revolution, not all of the autonomous zones were dissolved. Meaningful progress toward the end of the zones did occur, though.

Type

Galactic Sector