By The Light of Stars

It is the year 1896 and the world is changing. Long has it been cloaked in steam from the many inventions of that have now appeared in all aspects of society. Long too have the fabrications of the Darwinists roamed the streets, buildings and battlefields of the world, supplementing or opposing solid steel and coal. These rapid developments, however, pale in comparison to the Aether. It has been 26 years since man first travelled the Aether and now as the colonies and outposts grow beneath the stars on the other worlds and asteroids of the Solar System, the empires of Earth must reconsider their priorities.   Britain has been the first to take the plunge in 1895 as they abandoned direct rule of almost all of their colonies on Earth with the creation of the Imperial Commonwealth that maintains de jure control over the empire, if nothing else. The two other superpowers of France and Russia will surely not be far behind the British in turning their full attention out across the Aether as the planets and moons beyond the Asteroid Belt open up for the first time but they have not yet done so.   On Earth, Britain's effective withdrawal from their empire has, already, triggered chaos amongst their old colonies. The least affected of her fomer colonies was the East India Company which had, by its very nature, never been completely beholden to the motherland's will and they now stand as perhaps the premier power in Asia, though the twin problems of overextension and a minority ruling class are blighting their potential. Some, like Canada, South Africa and Australia, had already moved down a path of increasing autonomy and though the handing over of control almost completely came as a shock, they were quick to adapt and now look around them searching for the opportunities that had been denied them before. The rest though, are now a jumble of warlords, old governors clinging to power, and the occassional native protectorate that has taken the opportunity to throw off their chains. Only one thing unites them, they all still pay tribute to the motherland in one form or another and, notionally at least, enjoy her protection from outside foes.   The world beyond the empire has been no less affected. Many looked on in shock as the greatest empire in the world abandoned her colonies but in truth most regarded it as a opportunity for them at best or stupidity to be mocked at worst. The wider consequences of the Aetherial Realignment, especially if it is followed by France and Russia as is expected, will, however, be great. For the past decades the three superpowers have cultivated alliances and protectorates across the world but as their patrons go to space, the beneficaries of these will be left increasingly to their own devices in carving out a new world without the pervasive influence of the super powers.   It is, for all, strange times indeed.