lie, two Legion immortals, crossed over to the other side, to fight Heaven's wars.
Immortality and death—that was what the Legion promised, and delivered. My blood was running cold. Uldo! I closed my eyes. My heart was pounding. Let it come. I'm a soldier of the Legion. I'm ready to die. I'm ready for anything! Deadman, do your damndest! I'll follow my orders to the death!
END OF MARCH OF THE LEGION: THE AUTHOR'S CUT
To be continued in Slave of the Legion
GLOSSARIES
Welcome to the Confederation of Free Worlds (ConFree). The citizens of ConFree greet you in friendship, and wish you a pleasant and productive visit. Your itinerary is designed to familiarize you with ConFree's society, history and government, as well as any specialized subjects in which you have declared an interest. We are proud of our Confederation and welcome information requests from both the System and unaligned worlds.
Your official guide is a ConFree citizen and a Government official. Your guide will answer any questions not covered in this handbook. The handbook covers basic facts regarding ConFree. We suggest you read it prior to commencing your tour. Please try to keep an open mind. You will find that the truth about ConFree is not what you were taught in System or USICOM worlds.
ConFree was founded by Outworlder refugees who fled the Inners to escape oppression and slavery under the United System Alliance (the System). They settled in the Crista Cluster on the edge of the Outvac, some 1,400 light years from the Inners. The early Outworlder pioneers were fiercely independent individualists who had personally suffered greatly at the hands of a tyrannical regime, and were deeply suspicious of organized government. They had also been fleeing racial extermination by the System, which viewed Outworlders as a dangerous gene pool fostering political resistance to the System's centralized control. These settlers found scores of habitable worlds in the Crista Cluster and formed independent governments on each world, wanting only to be left alone to live in peace. When the System launched slave raids and attempted to expand its zone of control into the Crista Cluster, however, the settlers quickly organized, forming the Confederation of Free Worlds in Year One, ConFree Galactic Standard (CGS).
ConFree's first act was to draw up a Constitution designed primarily to ensure that the government would never terrorize its citizens (see Constitution). The second act was to form Fleetcom and the ConFree Legion (see Fleetcom, Legion). With these instruments, ConFree was able to eventually repel Starfleet and the DefCorps, with great loss of life on both sides (see 'Conflict with the United System Alliance,' below). Our history reveals our character: we are extremists who worship freedom and independence and despise tyranny, while realizing that only through united resolve and violent action can we guarantee our independence and liberty in a hostile galaxy. Thus came about ConFree's unique blend of personal freedom and personal responsibility. We are proud of our history and our institutions and we apologize to no one.
The ConFree Constitution was written in blood by a free people originally representing 21 free and independent Crista Cluster worlds. The Confederation of Free Worlds is a voluntary association from which any member world can withdraw at any time should they lose faith in ConFree leadership. The ConFree Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantees ConFree citizens the right to overthrow a tyrannical government, the right to bear arms, the right to free speech, the right to justice, the right to vote and representation, the right to private property, the right to education, the right and duty to serve the people, and the duty to remain informed. ConFree civilians do not have a right to vote and representation, nor the duties to serve the people or to remain informed, but have all other rights. Citizenship is conferred after six years of community or military service to the people, and all civilians are eligible to volunteer. The ConFree Constitution guarantees member worlds the right to secede at will. None have as yet done so. ConFree's history has demonstrated that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
As noted above, ConFree citizenship is a right which is earned by service to the people of ConFree. All civilians are eligible. Those who volunteer, generally to a term in the ConFree Legion, earn their citizenship by putting their lives on the line to protect the people of ConFree. Those who choose not to do so are guaranteed a prosperous and secure life on a ConFree world, and are not thought less of, but cannot claim a right to shape our future.
ConFree is a largely homogeneous society, consisting of descendants of the original Outworlder race, with healthy infusions of Assidic genes as well. We have a common language, history, beliefs, similar genetic background and vision for the future. The mission of the Outworlder race is to secure a prosperous and secure future for our children. We do not encourage efforts to introduce non-Outworlder peoples into ConFree who do not share our background and beliefs. However, everyone is welcome to volunteer for service in the ConFree Legion and earn ConFree citizenship. We welcome as brothers and sisters all who stand the night watch with us.
The Outworlder race is descended from the original pioneers who opened up the outer reaches of what later became the United System Alliance. These Outworlder people fought bravely against Saka the Invincible and the Assidic Empire when it initially expanded into the Inners. As the situation stabilized and the decaying Assidic Empire was replaced by the System slave state, both Outworlders and Assidics found common cause against System oppression. Outworlder-Assidic intermarriage became common on frontier worlds, and a new race slowly evolved. Although still known as 'Outworlders,' a high percentage of our people have Assidic genes, even those who appear to be of 'pure' Outworlder stock. Outworlders and Assidics now have similar beliefs and goals, and a shared opposition to System tyranny.
At the top of our Chain of Command are the citizens of ConFree. ConFree member worlds send representatives to the ConFree Council, which elects an Executive Council. The ConFree Council and the Executive Council are volunteers in service to the people of ConFree. Their decisions must be based solely on the best interests of the people of ConFree. It is a grave responsibility, and all Council members know the penalty for failure is death. At the bottom of the Chain of Command is the Legion trooper, who marches in the mud for the people of ConFree, and dies for them if necessary.
ConFree is focused on justice, not on laws. The ConFree Constitution is the only law. There are no formal Confederation law statutes. Juries of ConFree citizens are empowered to render decisions on justice, based on local legal statutes and local customs on ConFree member worlds. Local statutes are only guidelines for the jurists, who are concerned with rendering justice, not enforcing laws. All ConFree citizens and civilians are guaranteed justice by the people and government of ConFree. The pursuit of justice is one of our people's most important concerns, and it is driven by our history. We believe it is obscene and immoral to have to expend personal funds to secure justice. Any attempt to purchase favorable judgments is itself a crime in ConFree. Interstellar travelers describing
