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RonSWEF
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Basic History
Okay, here's a short version of the history I've been developing for this game.
In the early 18th Century, Sir Isaac Newton discovers a force he calls aether, a sort of wind that cannot be detected or harnessed by conventional means but will interact with specially-treated objects. His experiments with aether eventually lead to the commissioning of a ship with aether-treated sails. Much to everyone's surprise, the vessel actually lifts out of the water and flies for several miles before inadequate steering mechanisms result in collision with a small mountain. The Royal Navy begins construction of dedicated "aetherships" to replace the suddenly-obsolete wet navy, and Sir Isaac (now Lord Newton) continues to experiment with the implications of his discovery.
Britain's new airfleet is first deployed against France in the mid-1700s. Formations of aetherships fly over French defenses and bombard Paris from the air. Both Paris and Versailles are utterly destroyed, and what members of France's royal family don't die in the bombardment are put in chains. France becomes a British subject, though there are frequent revolts and rebellions for decades afterwards.
Around the same time, the Royal Academy of Science secretly fields its first successful extraplanetary voyage, travelling to the Moon and claiming it for the British Empire. An excursion to Mars follows two years later.
Over in America, the Continental Congress declares independence, believing that Britain's airfleet won't be able to cross the Atlantic. They turn out to be horribly wrong as all thirteen colonies fall within three months. Rather than execute the rebels or let them remain in resource-rich America, Parliament votes to export the lot of them to settle Mars. The indigenous peoples of the Americas band together to form the Tribal Union and apply for membership in the British Empire. A wary Britain accepts their offer, and within twenty years the Tribal Union becomes one of the biggest producers of food and raw materials in the Empire. Eventually they are awarded favored status and allowed to send their own delegates to Parliament.
The end of the 18th century sees unchecked British expansion, but aethership technology begins to be leaked to other nations, most notably the Shogunate of Japan and the American settlers on Mars.
In the early 1800s the Americans stage another rebellion, this time lead by Admiral John Paul Jones and a European exile named Napoleon Bonaparte. Mars' isolation prevents easy reinforcement of British forces, and initially the Americans are able to take and hold the planet. However, the dispatch of Admiral Nelson and General Wellesley to Mars reopens the conflict, the battles rage for several years until finally Jones and Bonaparte are defeated at the Battle of Canal's Cross. Enraged, Parliament orders the Americans destroyed, but out of mercy and practicality Admiral Nelson offers the rebels a small fleet of battered cargo vessels with which to remove themselves in return for a promise to stay well away from any British colonies in the future. The Americans depart, and eventually settle the Saturn Archipelago.
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"Define interesting."
"Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?"
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12/Sep/04, 3:56 pm
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RonSWEF
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More Basic History
Immediately following the Napoleonic Wars, Britain turns its attention back to Earth as it works on consolidating its hold on Europe and the Middle East. The Tsar of Russia declares war on Britain, but his generals (realizing exactly what their chances would be without airfleet support) immediately stage a coup and then apply for membership in the Empire. The addition of the Russian Army to Britain's resources allows them to take the Arabian peninsula and most of North Africa over the next few years.
In the 1850's, Mars begins the center of attention again as the few remaining British outposts go silent. A small force is sent to investigate, and discovers that while the Empire was distracted with their latest expansions the Shogunate of Japan established several colonies and a significant military presence on Mars. The captain of the expeditionary ship is informed firmly but politely that Mars is no longer of British concern. The captain returns to Earth with the message, and a Shogunate freighter returns the captured British soldiers to a military base in France.
Parliament is incensed by the Shogun's audacity and declares war, figuring on a few quick battles and then the conquest of Japan. The Shogunate, however, has other plans. The Japanese navy turns out to be larger than expected and their deployment of a new weapon, rocket-propelled cannister shot, gives them an advantage in both firing range and intimidation factor. Britain has more experienced crews, however, and the war drags out for several years in a sort of stalemate before Queen Victoria I finally announces that this has gone on quite long enough and negotiates a peace treaty with the Shogunate, ceding all claims to Mars. She then orders the Navy to maintain regular patrols of the spacelanes and all Crown colonies to ensure that this kind of infiltration does not happen again. Britan and Japan maintain an uneasy peace over the next couple decades as Japan incorporates most of eastern Asia into its sphere of influence. Mars quickly becomes a thriving home for the Oriental peoples, acknowledging the authority of the Shogun but maintaining their own cultural distinctions.
In 1876 India is formally admitted as a member state in the Empire, mainly in recognition of the high number of British officers and nobles maintaining homes there. Queen Victoria I is crowned Empress of India as a nod to local sensibilities.
Her Majesty celebrates the 50th anniversary of her coronation in 1887, with the entire Empire throwing a massive Jubilee celebration in her honor. Military parades and lavish gifts abound, and the Navy even commissions a special yacht for the occasions, large enough to carry the entire Royal family in lavish style. Her Majesty embarks on a tour of the various Crown colonies, but tragedy cuts the voyage short when the ship explodes on route to Luna Britannica. French terrorists claim responsibility, announcing the birth of a new and free French Republic.
The Empire is rocked to the core by the tragedy, and Parliament engages in a frantic effort to find an heir to the throne only to discover that most viable candidates have mysteriously died in the last few years. Public hysteria mounts, and in an eleventh-hour effort to fend off rioting Parliament announces the sole remaining candidate - Prince Narumsekar of India. Only one-quarter English (his grandfather married an English countess) but educated at Oxford, the Prince accepts the throne and establishes the Royal House of Rhasameer, taking the reign name of Thomas as a nod to British traditions (and because he secretly fancied the name).
Prince Thomas refuses immediate coronation, insisting that the Empire's needs must come first. He personally leads the hunt for the terrorists, bringing an interesting mix of Britsh civility and Indian ruthlessness to the task. The leaders of the so-called French Republic are captured, put on trial, and publicly executed using a variety of traditional Indian methods that leaves little doubt in anyone's mind that His Highness has no tolerance for assassins. He refuses to take any vengeance on the French people, however, instead investing resources to rehabilitate the region (which had, admittedly, become a bit of a hellhole).
---
"Define interesting."
"Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?"
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23/Sep/04, 12:16 pm
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RonSWEF
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Yet More Basic History
Prince Thomas finally accepts coronation in 1890, by which point his straightforward actions and personal charisma have won the approval of most of the Empire's citizens. The early years of the reign of the "Rajput Royals" (an affectionate tag given the House of Rhasameer by British journalists) is marked by continuing peace, social stabilization, and the division of the Navy. After the Jubilee Massacre, Grand Admiral Churchwall formally reorganizes the Navy into two branches, the Home Fleet - which maintains the security of Earth and Luna Britannica, and the Royal Expeditionary Fleet - which handles the patrol and assistance duties assigned the Navy by Victoria I. The Home Fleet becomes 'gentlemen's club' of the Navy, as its officers find themselves more able to move in social circles than the more far-ranging and adventurous REF. The two branches maintain a deep-rooted rivalry to this day, but the Admiralty obviously favors the Home Fleet and as almost all of the Admiralty is drawn from that branch they will most likely continue to do so.
King Thomas (known by then as "Thomas the Tiger" for his canny political skill) abdicates in 1910 in favor of his son, Veerun, who takes the name of Henry IX. Henry is a less active ruler than his father, but due to the leadership of Prime Minister Mohandes Gandhi, Henry's reign becomes known as a time of peace, expansion, and trade. Dozens of new colonies are founded across the solar system, and friendly (or at least non-violent) contact is made with the various non-human peoples of the system. Indian culture becomes the vogue in England in the late 1930s, and at one point there are almost as many Hindu temples in London as Christian churches.
King Henry passes away in 1941, leaving his daughter Sukunya (19 at the time) to inherit the throne. Her youth, beauty, and charm energize the India craze, and some even call for her to rule in her own name. She takes the name of Victoria II, however, maintaining the tradition. The young Queen makes no secret of the fact that she has no intention of maintaining her namesake's reputation for prudishness (in fact it becomes obvious quickly that she is something of a hedonist), but she also makes it clear to the press that that does not give them license to gossip about her. "When I am not fulfilling my role as the Queen, gentlemen," in a speech given to an assemblage of newspaper editors, "I am a person, the same as anyone else. As long as it violates no laws what a person does in the privacy of their own homes is their business, whether that home is a shack, a townhouse, or a palace. Imagine to your heart's content, gentlemen, but please reserve your pages for real news." Since then, gossip has of course run rife but virtually none of it gets published in the newspapers and there is an unofficial understanding that one does not visit Her Majesty during certain times of the day unless one wishes to see a great deal more than they had intended. The older generation finds the young Queen to be scandalous and frustrating, but she maintains a high level of popularity even if a lot of it's in a "nudge-nudge wink-wink" kind of way.
Her politics have almost completely diverted attention from her private life, however. Queen Victoria ("Vicky" to the press) has proven to be a magnificent statesman, and almost single-handedly pushed women's suffrage through Parliament in 1942. For the first time, women are allowed to vote, hold public office, and (most surprisingly of all) attend the Naval Academy. While there is considerable resistance to the concept of women in the Navy among the Admiralty, the first lady officers (known as "Vicky's girls" or just "Vickys") have taken up positions in the REF. Some say it is only a matter of time before the Empire has a lady First Officer or even Captain, but the general attitude of the Admiralty is akin to "over our dead bodies"...
The current year is 1945, and the British Empire is in a state of cultural upheaval as the consequences of women's sufferage continue to rock the social fabric of the planet. Relations with the various nations of the solar system seem in a good state, and trade flows freely among the planets, but how long will that last?
---
"Define interesting."
"Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?"
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23/Sep/04, 1:18 pm
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