Unity Declaration
The Unity Declaration is the founding document of the Commonwealth of Man. Signed in 2138 CE by the leadership of the Unity colony, it laid out the ideology and structure of the Commonwealth going forward. The original document, signed on physical paper, is currently housed in the Chrysanthemum museum in Unity Prime.
The early days of the Unity colony saw the establishment of an emergency government and constant conflict against the native Denebians. While most colonists spent their time fighting, farming, or building the colony, a small number of philosophers and researchers studied the implications of their situation. Until the discovery of the Kuiper Wormhole in 2082 CE and the beginning of the Ulysses Initiative, Humans had assumed that they were alone in the galaxy. The discovery of simple life on Deneb IIb by probes changed that equation, and complex life in the forms of the Denebians led the colony's leading scientists to a disturbing conclusion. If complex life was present in both of the systems Humans had surveyed, there was a high likelihood that there were far more complex forms of life elsewhere in the galaxy, and based on the reaction of the Denebians to the Human colonists, were likely violent.
The Chrysanthemum survivors had been lucky to be marooned on a world less developed than Earth. If they had encountered an equal or more advanced civilisation, they would have easily been wiped out. With the likelihood of life elsewhere in the galaxy being extremely high, and the fact that any life could potentially be far more advanced than Humanity, the Unity colony's finest minds concluded that the only way to continue existing was to focus every ounce of effort into survival.
As the Denebian Pacification Campaign wound down and the colony became more stable, more parts of society were able to provide their input on the future of Unity. A small number of colonists favoured a democratic system, similar to those on Earth, but between the years of conflict and the assumption that the homeworld had collapsed into anarchy by this point, pro-democratic voices were a small minority. Instead, a majority of the population supported moves to create an 'efficient' form of dictatorial government, where the Acting Captain would be granted formal powers to protect the colony from threats without and within. In 2138 CE, the Unity Declaration was signed by the command crew of the Chrysanthemum, formalising their role as the leadership of the newly-created Commonwealth of Man.
While the Unity Declaration is something of a constitution, laying out laws, rights, and governmental structure, it primarily acts as an ideological document justifying the Commonwealth's existence. It cites numerous betrayals and atrocities committed by the Denebians against the Human colonists, before pivoting to a mathematical explanation of the inherent dangers associated with large amounts of complex life in the galaxy. It cites the failures of democracy and pacifism on Earth, and extols one virtue above all others: vigilance. Citizens of the Commonwealth are expected to do their part for the greater good of Humanity, which is determined by the Grand Marshal and the military leadership of the Admiralty.
The early days of the Unity colony saw the establishment of an emergency government and constant conflict against the native Denebians. While most colonists spent their time fighting, farming, or building the colony, a small number of philosophers and researchers studied the implications of their situation. Until the discovery of the Kuiper Wormhole in 2082 CE and the beginning of the Ulysses Initiative, Humans had assumed that they were alone in the galaxy. The discovery of simple life on Deneb IIb by probes changed that equation, and complex life in the forms of the Denebians led the colony's leading scientists to a disturbing conclusion. If complex life was present in both of the systems Humans had surveyed, there was a high likelihood that there were far more complex forms of life elsewhere in the galaxy, and based on the reaction of the Denebians to the Human colonists, were likely violent.
The Chrysanthemum survivors had been lucky to be marooned on a world less developed than Earth. If they had encountered an equal or more advanced civilisation, they would have easily been wiped out. With the likelihood of life elsewhere in the galaxy being extremely high, and the fact that any life could potentially be far more advanced than Humanity, the Unity colony's finest minds concluded that the only way to continue existing was to focus every ounce of effort into survival.
As the Denebian Pacification Campaign wound down and the colony became more stable, more parts of society were able to provide their input on the future of Unity. A small number of colonists favoured a democratic system, similar to those on Earth, but between the years of conflict and the assumption that the homeworld had collapsed into anarchy by this point, pro-democratic voices were a small minority. Instead, a majority of the population supported moves to create an 'efficient' form of dictatorial government, where the Acting Captain would be granted formal powers to protect the colony from threats without and within. In 2138 CE, the Unity Declaration was signed by the command crew of the Chrysanthemum, formalising their role as the leadership of the newly-created Commonwealth of Man.
While the Unity Declaration is something of a constitution, laying out laws, rights, and governmental structure, it primarily acts as an ideological document justifying the Commonwealth's existence. It cites numerous betrayals and atrocities committed by the Denebians against the Human colonists, before pivoting to a mathematical explanation of the inherent dangers associated with large amounts of complex life in the galaxy. It cites the failures of democracy and pacifism on Earth, and extols one virtue above all others: vigilance. Citizens of the Commonwealth are expected to do their part for the greater good of Humanity, which is determined by the Grand Marshal and the military leadership of the Admiralty.
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