Houses

Federacy Houses, simply called Houses, are the various major seats of government which, directly or indirectly, function under the over-arching auspices of the Federacy.

Major Houses

Major Houses (let’s rename?) - are rich seats of governments, typically holding at least one Alpha world, and typically fostering one or more Delta settlements.
There are over a dozen Major Houses and these represent the most powerful of the Federacy member states. They have their own sub-cultures and governments, though nearly all are heavily influenced by the Federacy's bureaucratic processes. Most of the species have their own Major House (humans have several), though a couple of Major Houses are incredibly cosmopolitan in nature with multiple races having significant influence and representation within them. The Drexel actually formed two Major Houses though to all but Drexel they act as one on almost every issue.
Given their incredible penchant for knowledge (and their ability to rapidly multiply), it's a mystery that the Lunarians don't have a Major House (some say it's because of their "social and historical vulnerabilities," though only culture scholars would be able to make sense of that theory). They eschew actual Major House status though they have championed a cause called the Free House of Brotherhood and Knowledge - a government not so much based upon geography but by choice of personal cultural proximity - a principle which it seems only Lunarians truly understand, though the Drexel back them upon the matter. For the time being, their Minor House is overseen by Sae Frimagia (loosely translated as The Big Cheese), the more prominent Drexel Major House (and stewards of The Majestic Great Library). - Curious Facts and Nibbles, A. Lexerd

Minor Houses

Less influential/powerful but still significant, are the Minor Houses, and their homeworld is usually a Beta (or Prime) settlement. Though technically independent, most Minor Houses owe allegiance directly to a Major House, usually through maintaining various trade and resource agreements.

Free Houses

Free Houses are a recent government manifestation (some elitist say it's an experiment) which are the influential and resource equivalent of Minor Houses, but are independent of a Major House.

Type

Government, Leadership