The Redding System is the capital of the Confederacy of Freelance States, though "capital" is a generous term for what started as a hastily constructed façade. The system was named for Captain Elias Redding, who founded the original mining colony on Ashfeld in the early 2300s.
The Redding System is, by design, unremarkable. A yellow dwarf star orbited by a handful of rocky inner planets, two gas giants, and an extensive asteroid belt. There are no Eden worlds here, no strategic chokepoints, no rare resources worth fighting over. It's the kind of system that gets marked "surveyed, low priority" and forgotten.
That anonymity made it perfect for the Confederacy's needs.
When the League and NorAellians were looking for a location to establish the new Confederate government, they needed somewhere that neither great power would be tempted to seize, somewhere central enough to Freelance space to be accessible, and somewhere with the industrial capacity to support rapid construction. Redding checked every box.
The Redding System was colonized in the early 2300s by the Redding Mining Consortium, a small outfit looking to exploit the system's asteroid belt and the mineral wealth of the fourth planet. They established Ashfeld as their base of operations—a harsh, industrial world that supplied raw materials to shipwrights across Freelance space.
For over a century, Redding was exactly what it appeared to be: a working-class system of miners, refiners, and factory workers. Not prosperous, not poor, just... working.
When the League orchestrated the Declaration of Confederacy, they needed a capital. Somewhere to sign the documents, hold the Assembly, and convince the galaxy that this new government was legitimate.
The NorAellians suggested Redding. It was central, it had industrial capacity, and—critically—no one would miss it if things went wrong.
Working with Emory Shipwrights and Talbot Yards, the League and NorAellians constructed Constitution Station in orbit of Ashfeld. The station was built fast and built big—impressive enough to look like a proper capital on camera. What the cameras didn't show was that most of it was empty space. The station had an assembly hall, a handful of offices, minimal quarters, and a mess hall. Delegates were hot-bunking and fighting over desk space.
It was during this chaotic period that the infamous incident between Maggie Harker and Conrad Mercer occurred, leading to the Empire Cluster withdrawing from the Confederacy entirely.
What was supposed to be a temporary façade became permanent through sheer stubbornness. The delegates refused to leave. More sections were built. Ashfeld's factories fed the station's expansion. People moved in.
Over two and a half centuries, Constitution grew from a hollow shell into a genuine city-station housing hundreds of millions. The Redding System transformed from a forgotten mining colony into the beating heart of the Confederacy—such as it is.