Assembly of Sovereign Citizens
Freehold's armed sovereigntists ultimately place the colony's survival above their governor, complying under protest with Holden's altered demand.
Story so far
The Assembly of Sovereign Citizens governs Freehold around radical autonomy, universal armament, and rejection of Transport Union tariffs. Governor Payne Houston and eleven cabinet members receive James Holden and Bobbie Draper from an elevated, courtroom-like bench, all carrying sidearms while six guards cover the exits. Houston threatens the visitors rather than acknowledge the gate danger his policy created.
Holden offers the Assembly an unauthorized alternative to quarantine: surrender Houston for trial. The citizens use their twelve-hour window to depose and bind him, then arrive at the Rocinante behind Interim Governor Semple Marks. They accept the practical demand while lodging a formal complaint, demonstrating that even a society founded on uncompromising sovereignty can make a collective choice when ideology threatens immediate survival.
Appearance
An armed frontier polity centered on a dark wood-analog council chamber, a raised twelve-seat bench, visible sidearms, militia guards, dirty streets, and a crowd gathered beneath a landed gunship.
Role
The Assembly is the political body that creates Freehold's crisis and then resolves it by choosing its people over its governor.
Relationships
Sources — 2 recorded facts, by chapter
- Freehold's three hundred Earth-born settlers organize radical personal sovereignty around universal armed defense and rejection of outside tariffs.
- Freehold's armed sovereigntists ultimately place the colony's survival above their governor, complying under protest with Holden's altered demand.