valleyconfederation

The Valley Confederation was a proposed political and economic alliance in the fictional universe of *The Expanse*, a science fiction series created by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, the confederation was envisioned as a loose union of the Free Worlds, a collection of independent planetary bodies and settlements that sought to balance the power of the two dominant factions: the Inner Planet League (Mars and its allies) and the Outer Planet Collective (the gas giants and their colonies).

The Valley Confederation was primarily centered around the asteroid belt, particularly the region known as the Belt, which served as a critical hub for trade, industry, and shipping. The confederation’s proponents argued that it would foster cooperation among the Free Worlds, promoting shared economic interests and reducing reliance on the more centralized and often authoritarian governance of the Inner and Outer Planets. Key figures in the movement included figures like Holden Karensky, a former Inner Planet League officer turned advocate for Belt independence, and other influential politicians and business leaders.

The Valley Confederation’s political philosophy emphasized decentralization, free-market principles, and the protection of individual liberties. It sought to create a neutral zone where trade and commerce could flourish without interference from the larger planetary powers. However, the confederation faced significant challenges, including internal divisions, external threats from the League and Collective, and logistical difficulties in maintaining unity among its diverse members.

The concept of the Valley Confederation played a central role in the series’ narrative, exploring themes of sovereignty, economic inequality, and the struggle for autonomy in a fragmented solar system. Its eventual fate and the broader implications of its existence were key plot points in *The Expanse*, reflecting the complexities of interplanetary politics and the challenges of forging alliances in a divided universe.