The Ardent Initiative
A scientific mission to expand the horizons of the Alliance of Mutual Species by encountering the new and exploring the unknown.
Constitution
The Ardent is a key initiative for the Alliance; more than just a practical mission, it embodies the values of the Alliance and is the standard bearer for the kind of galaxy the Alliance’s people wish it to be. All eyes will be upon it, wishing for its success or hoping to tear it down as evidence of failure or hypocrisy.
The Ardent will be operating at long distances, encountering many things which simply cannot be anticipated and operating with a lot of autonomy. Rather than give the crew a strict list of rules of engagement, the Ardent instead has a constitution setting out, at a high level, the core values the whole crew are expected to use to guide them, especially in interacting with new peoples or undiscovered phenomena.
The four key values of the Constitution are as follows:
- Respect the autonomy of all peoples
- Learn, explore, and gather information about the universe
- Act to prevent harm, and avoid causing harm where possible
- Present the opportunities of the Alliance to those you encounter
The Constitution aside, in any given mission or scenario, the crew are expected to use their judgement and abilities to assess how to proceed in a way that benefits the Alliance, the mission, the ship, and those they meet, although not necessarily in that order.
The Constitution in its current form was agreed by a joint council and ratified by the Alliance political machinery, owing to the importance of the mission. This doesn’t mean it can’t ever change however, especially if the crew are able to make a compelling case for it…
