Common reader question: Tell me about the A.I. and the security protocols.
In my mind, the implants are super-expensive, difficult to insert, with few medical facilities authorized to work with them. To protect the user there are different levels of internal security: manufacturer level needed for potential repairs, imperial academy protocols for military classified data, and clan protocols to protect the person from the "government"-maintaining self determination, sanity, and family secrets. All of these levels of security might be seen cumbersome but the idea is to discourage hacking attempts from other clans, planetary governments, etc.. In the end, all that doesn't matter much to the story except the point about the A.I.
I haven't clarified the outside world on purpose but the Empire is a collection of clans that operate different segments (i.e. imperial senate in Star Wars) of the political entity. The imperial academy represents the military leader training for clan heirs, and the elite families. The Webster A.I. is a clan developed and controlled entity. The A.I. has clan protocols and manufacture protocols, in this story it doesn't care about classified military materials so doesn't need to hack it.
Webster was specifically developed for deep space missions that the prototype survey ship would of been sent on if the Empire had selected it for the mission. But as we know the Empire didn't award the contract to Von's clan so this is a one of a kind ship; and, the Empire nor the Clan had any idea how Webster at what level the A.I could "grow to" in operational conditions under the Alpha Protocol that is total independent command (an extreme measure in dire emergency conditions).