1. Three 2. The firing of the array was a last minute decision, and would require a massive amount of coordination, which they lacked due to slipspace and the domain being overloaded. Right before the activation, they received thousands of cries from help which would go unheeded. 3. Political power in the UEG lied with Earth and the Inner Colonies. The Outer Colonies essentially could not govern their own worlds. Not just that, but they repeatedly got the short end of the stick.