The Empire long had its eye on the region it named Providence, a wealth of minerals on its border ripe for the plucking. Those plans were forced off the shelf with the Minmatar rebellion and the following disaster of Vak’Atioth. Hamstrung by these events and their repercussions, the expansion into Providence failed to materialize.
So the region was left to waste. Capsuleers now rule the byways, and Sansha’s reborn Nation attempts to expand their influence into the region. But only a fool would assume that the Empire has forgotten its plans entirely. The enduring Amarr have learned to be ever patient, ever watchful.