The Confederacy of Freelance States has a government in the same way that a cat has an owner—technically true, but don't expect either party to acknowledge it.
The Declaration of Confederacy was deliberately written to create the absolute minimum structure required to claim legitimacy as a government. Its authors understood that the Free Colony worlds would never accept strong central authority, so they didn't try to create one.
The result is a government based on three principles:
Everything else is negotiable, contested, or simply ignored.
The Confederacy's seat of government is Constitution Station, a massive city-station orbiting Ashfeld in the Redding System. The station was originally constructed in 2448 for the signing of the Articles of Confederation—a hastily-built façade designed to look legitimate on camera. Over two and a half centuries, it grew into a genuine capital housing nearly 300 million people.
The irony of a government that barely follows its own rules being headquartered on a station named "Constitution" is not lost on anyone.
The station houses the Confederate Assembly chambers, various bureaucratic offices, and the scattered quasi-governmental bodies that constitute Confederate "administration." It also serves as a major trade hub and fleet anchorage—neutral ground where vessels from the League, Terrans, and independent powers can dock, carefully segregated to prevent incidents.
The closest thing the Confederacy has to a central government is the Confederate Assembly—a deliberative body where representatives from member worlds meet to discuss issues of mutual concern.
Each member world sends one representative to the Assembly. There is no population weighting; a world of twenty billion has the same vote as a station of twenty thousand. This was a deliberate choice—the founders knew that population-weighted voting would give the older, more established worlds permanent dominance.
In practice, the Assembly struggles to achieve quorum, let alone consensus. Member worlds frequently skip sessions, send unempowered representatives, or simply ignore Assembly decisions they disagree with.
It's worth noting that many of the most significant powers in Freelance space—the Clusters, major independent stations—have never joined the Confederacy at all. They trade with Confederate worlds, cooperate on matters of mutual interest, but refuse to submit to even the minimal authority the Assembly represents.
The Assembly can:
The Assembly cannot:
The Assembly elects a Speaker to manage proceedings and represent the Confederacy in diplomatic matters. The position is largely ceremonial—the Speaker has no actual authority beyond running meetings and signing documents.
Most Speakers have been thoroughly forgettable. The few who tried to expand the office's powers were quickly reminded that the Confederacy exists specifically to prevent that kind of thing.
Confederate law is minimal by design. The few laws that exist cover:
Enforcement is... aspirational. The Confederacy has no police force, no courts with binding authority, and no prisons. Violations of Confederate law are referred to the offender's home world for prosecution, which often means nothing happens at all.
Real law exists at the planetary level, where each world maintains its own legal system. These range from sophisticated court systems on wealthy worlds to "whoever has the most guns makes the rules" on frontier stations.
Visitors to Confederacy space are advised to research local laws before landing. What's legal on one world may be a capital offense on another.
When disputes arise between citizens of different worlds, the parties can request arbitration. The Confederacy maintains a loose network of Arbiters—respected individuals who hear cases and render judgments. These judgments are not legally binding, but refusing to honor an Arbiter's decision is a good way to destroy your reputation across Freelance space.
The Confederacy maintains the smallest military of any human government. The Confederate Defense Fleet is a small naval force operating converted freighters and purchased warships. Real military strength comes from privateers—civilian ships authorized to raid enemy shipping during wartime.
The Confederacy is corrupt. Everyone knows it. Most Confederates consider this a feature, not a bug.
The Assembly can be bought. Arbiters can be bribed. Local governments are often controlled by criminal organizations or corporate interests. Laws exist primarily to be circumvented.
This corruption serves a purpose: it keeps the system flexible. When laws can be bent, they don't need to be broken. When officials can be paid off, conflicts can be resolved without violence. The Confederacy runs on bribes, favors, and mutual back-scratching because that's what its people prefer to the alternative—a government strong enough to actually enforce its rules.
For those who can't afford to play the game, life in the Confederacy can be harsh. But for those with resources, connections, or skills, the corruption is simply the cost of doing business in the freest space humanity has ever known.
The League helped create the Confederacy and has never quite gotten over it. They expected a puppet; they got an unruly neighbor.
Relations are generally friendly. The League provides quiet support to the Confederacy and receives cooperation against the Terrans in return. Trade flows freely between the two governments. But the League has learned not to expect gratitude or obedience.
The Confederacy sits on the Intergalactic Security Council as a nominal ally, though their representatives often vote against League interests out of sheer contrariness.
The People's Republic of Terra still officially considers the Confederacy to be rebellious colonies. They have never recognized Confederate sovereignty and likely never will.
In practice, an uneasy peace exists. The Charlemagne Accords included the Confederacy as a signatory, creating a de facto recognition that the Terrans refuse to acknowledge. Trade occurs through intermediaries. Diplomacy happens through back channels. Both sides know that open conflict would be catastrophic.
Many Confederates are former Terran citizens or their descendants. This creates complex relationships—families split across borders, cultural ties that persist despite political hostility, and a thriving smuggling trade that both governments pretend not to notice.
The NorAellians are perhaps the Confederacy's most important ally, despite minimal direct contact. Their intervention in 2493 made Confederate independence possible, and that debt has never been forgotten.
NorAellian trade ships are welcomed throughout Confederacy space. NorAellian mediators are trusted when human arbiters cannot be. The relationship is one of mutual respect between peoples who value independence above all else.