Articles of the Federation Articles of the Federation is a " " novel written by Keith R . A . DeCandido . Published by Pocket Books , it was first released in . Summary . January 2380 . Chapter One . Young Ele ' er and her mother on Bre ' el IV watch " Illuminating the City of Light " , an audio / visual program presented by the Federation News Service concerning itself with Federation politics , featuring a guest panel commenting upon current events . President Nanietta Bacco has just been sworn in , after winning the election against Federation Special Emissary Arafel " Fel " Pagro of Ktar . Guests include Ra - Yalix , an Efrosian foreign policy adviser for previous presidents Amitra and Jaresh - Inyo ; Sovan , a Bolian reporter , the chief Earth correspondent for " Bolarus and You " ; Federation Councilor Nitram of Bre ' el IV ; and retired Federation Starfleet Admiral Taela Shanthi . Chapter Five . Presidential Chief of Staff Esperanza Piñiero takes note of how surrounded by Starfleet Security the President is as she tries to get the President ' s assistant , Sivak , an elderly Vulcan male , to let her into the Presidential Office without his being snippy . She finally gets him to let her in , but the President is angry about something . The President throws a PADD on her desk , getting ready for her trip to Luna , complaining that the next day , the Federation Council will be voting to renew trades with Aligar , a planet whose population is 90 % enslaved , owned by the other 10 % . She complains that the Federation shouldn ' t be doing business with them anymore , as they had only done so previously because they needed a mineral called Kellinite during the Dominion War . Esperenza tries to remind the President it was wartime , but President Bacco tells her she knew what wartime means ; that a faction of the Gorn Hegemony had tried to take advantage of the war and conquer Cestus III , but were successfully fended off . Also on the agenda , the Tzenkethi Ambassador wants to speak with her regarding a child of one of the " Tzelnira " ( Tzenkethi aristocracy ) being ill . The President leaves on her shuttle , the " al - Rashid " , for Luna . March 2380 . Chapter Seven . On Betazed , two students at Enaren University prepare to watch " Illuminating the City of Light " . Sephara telepathically argues with her roommate Gira over not going food shopping , and all they have is " hirep " fruit , to which she is allergic . On " ICL " , Velisa ' s guests include Admiral Kathryn Janeway of Starfleet ; Edmund Atkinson , a political reporter for the " Times " ; Antedian Federation Councillor Selora Quintor ; and Sorlak , a female Vulcan associate counsel with the " Palais " legal office . While the topic was originally going to be about the disputes between the Council and the President , information regarding the Reman refugees at Outpost 22 has just been released to the public . Their subject moves to the President ' s speech to the Council on not renewing trade agreements with the Aligar . The topic then shifts to Councillor Altrin ' s assignment to the Judiciary Council ( the committee of the full Federation Council concerning itself with judicial affairs ) . Gira and Seraph get bored with their arguing and turn the program off , deciding to shop for food . May 2380 . This timeframe contains these events : Chapter Thirteen . Chapter Thirteen began in a Pike City pub on Cestus . A baseball game is airing – the Gulls versus the Pike City Pioneers , in the bottom of the ninth . Gulls are up 2 - zip . Faith Martinez is put in by the Pioneers and they get three runs off him , defeating the Gulls 3 - 2 . The owner of the pub , Gordon , gives a round of the local beer , called Homebrew , to everyone in the pub , as he always does after a Pioneer win . One of the patrons requested the feed be changed to " ICL " . Appearing on " ICL " are Fred MacDougan , the President ' s senior speechwriter ; FNS Palais de la Concorde correspondent Regia Maldonado ; Councillor Gorus Gelemingar of Gnala ; and retired Starfleet Captain of Bolarus . The discussion revolves around the President ' s goodwill tour and the upcoming address to the Federation Council by the Trinni / ek . MacDougan pumps up the Council appearance but doesn ' t say anything of substance . Councillor Geleminger rips into Trinni / ek appearance first ( to boos in the pub ) and then into the tour , stating it is pointless . He also lies , claiming that he was present at a Federation Security Council hearing where asylum was denied to the Remans at Outpost 23 shorty before they decided to ram the outpost and kill themselves . Both MacDougan and Maldonado defend President Bacco and expose his life , earning each a Homebrew should they ever appear in the pub . Captain Rixx is asked about the Trinni / ek and says that they are very friendly . The chapter ends when someone requests the program be changed . October 2380 . Chapter Twenty - Two . Cadet s Casey Goodwin and Jeremy McCall watch " Illuminating the City of Light " in their Starfleet Academy dorm room . Goodwin complains , " " For the sake of " kimchee " . . . do you have to watch that show every week ? " " McCall jokes that he uses the term " kimchee " , which is actually cole slaw . Goodwin says his mother used the term back on Alpha Proxima II , as they watch the show for Professor Mlikk ' s class . Guests today include : Betazoid Rina Tran , senior aide to Federation Councillor Sanaht of Janus VI ; Tellarite reporter Kav glasch Vokrak ; retired Starfleet Admiral Gregory Quinn ; and former Andorian Federation President Thelianaresth th ' Vorothishria . The panelists , for the most part , insult President Bacco ' s first year as president . Admiral Quinn reminds the panel that while many possibilities for war have come up , Bacco has successfully avoided it at all points , finding the peaceful solution and successfully carrying it out . President Thelian also supports the President . " " The job is difficult . . . she was expected to keep the Klingon alliance intact . She ' s done that , but she wasn ' t expected to deal with the fall of the Romulan government . . . for that we have to giver her some credit . " " The cadets decide to turn the show off , and go out for some " kimchee ' . December 2380 . Chapter Twenty - Five . The Observer , an extra - dimensional alien studying the Federation for a report to his superiors , watches " Illuminating the City of Light " . The guests include Starfleet Captain Charles Reynolds ; Ythrilasifsa sh ' Zathrosia of Andor , former Federation Secretary of the Exterior under President Zife ; Federation Councillor T ' Latrek of Vulcan ; and Teneso , a Deltan , the Federation News Service ' s Klingon Empire correspondent . The discussions are on the upcoming summit between the Federation President and Klingon Chancellor , and on the question of the attendance of the Romulan Praetor . All discuss whether the three powers can ever truly cooperate . Ythril claims that Romulans aren ' t trustworthy , but Captain Reynolds reminds him that the three were able to ally themselves during the Dominion War , when he captained the . Before the Observer can record anymore , his reporting device dies out . Omnipotently , he shifts the universe so that he may return home to file his report . Chapter Twenty - Eight . As President Bacco looks out the window of a " Venture " shuttle , on its way down to the surface of Koa for the ceremony admitting the world into the Federation , she contemplates her term to date . Upon landing , she discusses with Esperanza the problems and successes of the past year . Esperanza tells her that she ' s had a great year , the Federation didn ' t collapse , and now she gets to admit a new planet into the Federation . Bacco and Caliph Sicarios , leader of Koa , discuss the turmoils it took to get the planet to the Federation , specifically " transporting " the planet " into " Federation space . Sicarios and Bacco go onto stage , in front of thousands of Koans , and sign the admittance document . Memorable quotes . " " It sure is hell to be president . " " " " For one thing I ' m coming around to the idea of bringing beheadings back . . . it ' d make the meetings go faster . " " " " Why is it that whenever you say that , I get nervous . " " " " You ' re a crazed , paranoid , old woman ? " " " " Yeah , that ' s probably it . " " " " I don ' t know what impressed me more , that you had the name David Lloyd George at your beck and call or that you actually used " implacable " in a sentence . " " Characters . Federation Councillors . A great number of the minor characters are members of the Federation Council .