Name
Fleet Council
Type
Nomadic Representative Assembly
Description
The Fleet Council exists as the only permanent institution shared by the countless independent Drifter Fleets traveling known space. Every major flotilla appoints a Fleet Speaker who gathers periodically aboard a neutral Ark Ship known as the First Horizon to exchange information, settle disputes, establish trade agreements, and coordinate exploration beyond mapped space.
Unlike planetary governments, the Council claims no territory. Its authority extends only as far as the mutual trust of its member fleets. Decisions are reached through unanimous agreement whenever possible, ensuring every convoy retains complete independence while benefiting from shared knowledge.
The Fleet Council maintains the galaxy's largest collection of navigational records, salvage reports, unexplored Hyperlane observations, and frontier intelligence. Governments frequently purchase this information, though some discoveries remain known only to the Drifters.
Among wandering civilizations, no institution is more respected than the Fleet Council, whose greatest law has remained unchanged for generations:
Leave every traveler a path home.