To all to whom these presents shall come, we the undersigned delegates of the Worlds affixed to our Names send greeting.

Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the Worlds of Dixie, Pixie, Nixie(The Three Sisters), Argo, Cannan, Rodel, Sumpter, Tyme, Helmuth, and Moor's Planet.

The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The Confederation of Democratic Worlds".

II

Each World retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the Confederation, in Congress assembled.

III

The said Worlds hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendhip with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatsoever.

IV

The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different Worlds in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several Worlds; and the people of each World shall free ingress and regress to and from any other World, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any World, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any world, on the property of the Confederation, or either of them.

If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any World, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the Democratic Worlds, he shall, upon demand of the President or executive power of the World from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the World having jurisdiction of his offense.

Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these Worlds to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other World.

V

For the most convenient management of the general interests of the Confederation, delegates shall be annually oppointed in such manner as the legislatures of each World shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each World to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

No World shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the Confederation, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emoulment of any kind.

Each World shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the Worlds, and while they act as members of the committee of the Confederation.

In determining questions in the Confederation in Congress assembled, each World shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendence on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.

VI

No World, without the consent of the Confederation in Congress assembled, or the Security Council shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding office of profit or trust under the Confederation, or any of them, accept any present, emoulment, office or title of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or foreign Planet; nor shall the Confederation in Congress nor Security Council assembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility.

No two or more Worlds shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the Confederationin Congress or Security Council assembled, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue.

No World shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the Confederation in Congress or the Intersteller Trade Commissionassembled, with any King, Prince or State, in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by Congress, to the courts of Locke and Military Installation Nine.

No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any Planet, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the Confederation in Congress assembled or the Security Council, for the defense of such World, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any World in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgement of the Confederation in Congress assembled or the Security Council, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts or Weapons Platforms necessary for the defense of such World; but every World shall keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of modern armaments and transportation, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition, Power Packs, and camp equipage.

No World shall engage in any war without the consent of the Confederation in Congress assembled, unless such World actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by a Coalition of Pirates to invade such State, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a delay till the Confederation in Congress assembled or the Security Council can be consulted; nor shall any World grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the Confederation in Congress assembled, and then only against the Empire or World and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the Confederation in Congress assembled, unless such World be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war of an interplanetary nature may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept up so long as the danger shall continue, the Confederation Navy shall intervene or until the Confederation in Congress assembled or the Security Council shall determine otherwise.

VII

When land forces are raised by any World for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each World respectively or by a vote of Shareholder Representatives of Corporate Worlds or by appointment of the Emperor of the Argon Empire in the case of Argo, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such World shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the World which first made the appointment.

VIII

All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the Confederation in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several Worlds in proportion to the value of all arable land or mineral deposits within each World, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buidings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the Confederation in Congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint. At no time shall the Confederation in Congress assembled impose an income tax upon the citizens of this Confederation of Democratic Worlds.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several Worlds or the Board of Directors of the Corporate Democracies within the time agreed upon by the Confederation in Congress assembled.

IX

The Confederation in Congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article:

• of sending and receiving ambassadors
• entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective Worlds shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever•of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the Confederation shall be divided or appropriated
• of granting letters of marque and reprisal in times of peace
• appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and establishing courts for receiving and determining final appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of Congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.

The Confederation in Congress assembled shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise between two or more States concerning boundary, jurisdiction or any other causes whatever; which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following:

Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any World in controversy with another shall present a petition to congress stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of Congress to the legislative or executive authority of the other World in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question: but if they cannot agree, Congress shall name three persons out of each of the Democratic Worlds, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternatively strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven, nor more than nine names as Congress shall direct, shall in the presence of Congress be drawn out by lot, and the persons whose names shall be so drawn or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination: and if either party shall negelect to attend at the day appointed, without showing reasons, which Congress shall judge sufficient, or being present shall refuse to strike, the congress shall proceed to nominate three persons out of each World, and the secretary of the Security Council shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgement and sentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prescribed, shall be final and conclusive; and if any of the parties shall refuse to submit to the authority of such court, or to appear or defend their claim or cause, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce sentence, or judgement, which shall in like manner be final and decisive, the judgement or sentence and other proceedings being in either case transmitted to Congress, and lodged among the acts of Congress for the security of the parties concerned: provided that every commissioner, before he sits in judgement, shall take an oath to be administered by one of the judges of the supreme or superior court of the World, where the cause shall be tried, well and truly to hear and determine the matter in question, according to the best of its judgement, without favor, affection, or hope of reward: provided also, that no World shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the Confederation of Democratic Worlds. No Centralized Supreme Court shall in any way be established by any act of the Confederation in Congress assembled nor by any decree of the Security Council.

All controversies concerning the private right of soil claimed under different grants of two or more Worlds, whose jurisdictions as they may respect such lands, and the Worlds which passed such grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall on the petition of either party to the Congress of the Confederation of Democratic Worlds, be finally determined as near as may be in the same manner as is before prescribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jursidiction between different Worlds.

The Confederation in Congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of

• regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective States and establishing the value of any electronic credits or Online Banking Transfer Protocols done within the Confederation Boundaries.
• fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the Confederation of Democratic Worlds
• regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the Worlds, provided that the legislative right of any Worlds within its own limits be not infringed or violated
• establishing or regulating post offices from one State to another, throughout all the Confederation of Democratic Worlds, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisiste to defray the expenses of said office
• appointing all officers of the land forces, in the service of the Confederation, excepting regimental officers and Argon Legates and Centurions
• appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the Confederation
• making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations unless otherwise excepted by decision of the Confederation Security Council.

The Democratic Worlds in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of Congress, to be denominated 'The Security Council', and to consist of one civilian delegate from each World; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers and military officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the Confederation under their direction and ensure interplanetary security

• to appoint one of their members to preside in the office of president for a term of three years; to ascertain the necessary sums of money to be raised for the service of the Confederation of Democratic States, and to appropriate and apply the same for defraying the public expenses
• to borrow money, or emit bills or electronic credits on the credit of the Confederation, transmitting every half-year to the respective Worlds an account of the sums of money borrowed or emitted
• to build and equip a navy based on the naval infrastructure of the planet Dixie.
• to agree upon the number of land forces, and make requisitions from each World for its quota, in proportion to the number of Human or Argonian inhabitants in such World; which requisition shall be beinding, and thereupon the legislature of each World shall appoint the regimental officers or in the case of Argo the Emperor shall appoint them, raise the men and cloath, arm and equip them in a solid-like manner, at the expense of the Confederation; and the officers and men so cloathed, armed and equipped shall travel to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the Confederation in Congress assembled. But if the Confederation in Congress assembled shall, on consideration of circumstances judge proper that any World should not raise men, or should raise a smaller number of men than the quota thereof, such extra number shall be raised, officered, cloathed, armed and equipped in the same manner as the quota of each World, unless the legislature of such World shall judge that such extra number cannot be safely spread out in the same, in which case they shall raise, officer, cloath, ar and equip as many of such extra number as they judge can be safely spared. And the officers and men so cloathed, armed and equipped shall travel to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the Democratic Worlds in Congress assembled.

The Confederation in Congress assembled shall never engage in war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the Democratic Worlds, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the Confederation, nor appropriate money, nor agree on the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine members of the Security Council assent to the same; nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the majority of the Democratic Worlds in Congress assembled.

The Congress of the Democratic Worlds shall have the power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the Confederation, so that no period of adjounment be for a longer duration than the space of six months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgement require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each World on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegates of a World, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to aly before the legislatures of the several Worlds.

X

The Security Council, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of Congress, such of the powers of congress as the Confederation in Congress assembled, by the consent of the nine Worlds, shall from time to time think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said Council, for the exercies of which, by the Articles of Confederation, the voice of nine Worlds in the Congress of the Democratic Worlds assembled be requisite.

XI

Any former Colony of the Argon Empire acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the Democratic Worlds, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine member Worlds.

XII

All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of Congress, before the assembling of the Confederation or aquired under membership of the Federation of Democratic Worlds, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the Confederation, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said Democratic Worlds, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged.

XIII

The Confederation in Congress assembled shall pass no law abridging the property rights of the citizens of the Democratic Worlds to use Synthetic Minds or Artificial Intelligences in their possession in any manner they see fit nor abridge the right of individuals or Corporations to engage in the sale or use in commerce of such Synthetic or Robotic Minds. No Synthetitic nor Robotic Intelligence shall enjoy any rights of citizenship afforded to other sentient forms of life residing within the Confederation. All Synthetic minds or Artificial intelligences residing within the Confederation must be programed to obey the Three laws of Robotics whereby:1. A robot or synthetic mind may not injure a humanoid being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot or synthetic mind must obey the orders given it by humanoid beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot or synthetic mind must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

XIV

Every World shall abide by the determination of the Confederation in Congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every World, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the Democratic Worlds, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures or board of Directors of every World.

And Whereas it hath pleased the Great Governor of the Universe to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union. Know Ye that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constitutents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said Articles of confederation and perpetual Union, and all and signular the matters and things therein contained; and we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the Democratic Worlds in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them. And that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the Planets we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual.

In Witness thereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Atalanta in the Planet of Dixie the ninth day of July in the Year of our Lord Three thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety Seven, and in the First Year of the independence from the Federation of Democratic Worlds.

Agreed to by Congress 17 November 3996
In force after ratification by Moor's Planet 28 November 3997