Second British Empire
From Acw
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The Second British Empire is a re-invigorated Britain. It was formed by King George VII in 2133 on a tide of renewed nationalism.
History
Terrestrial Britan was a flagging power after the Second World War, and only became more and more moribund and debt-ridden with the expense of maintaining a nuclear arsenal. When the Space Race began in earnest, Britain had no money to enter it, and thus missed out on the early colonisation of the Solar System. Elizabeth II was suceeded by Charles III and a series of weak monarchs, and for many years it looked as if the monarchy would die out altogether.
George VII and the New Dawn
In 2129, after the death of King Charles IV, a particularly young George VII ascended to the throne. Only 40, George VII was an ardent nationalist and a popular monarch. He was a professional hover-polo player (the game that would become the still-popular grav-polo) and an avid Shuttle racer. Upon the birth of his first child in 2121, a girl he named Victoria, under the influence of his wife Margaret, he began to make comments regarding the unjust secession laws. In 2125 he petitioned his father to modify them to allow the Princess Victoria to take the throne after his death. After the unexpected death of Charles IV in 2129, his first act was to pass the new succession law - that the first child, not the first male (and a female only in the event of no male offspring), would ascend the throne.
George VII's lasting legacy was the re-formation of the Empire, or what the press at the time christened the New Dawn, after an ascerbic observation by the King that the sun had surely set on the now-defunct Empire. The drastic climate changes and the Migration Crises of the 2120s led to a renewed wave of conservatism, immigration restrictions and finally (with careful govermnet propaganda) a renewed wave of nationalism in the United Kingdom. The King was quick to capitalise on this new patriotism, ramping up his political agenda of space exploration and colonisation as a way to unite the nation. Upon pronouncing his vision of a new, interstellar empire, old colonies (including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Western Canada) reacted by asking to be re-included in his reinvigorated Britan. His first Imperial act was to begin construction of two gigantic Ark Ships, the Boadicea and the Arthur, in 2132. The Boadicea was launched in early 2134 to Hydra, while the Arthur was directed at Griffin later that year.
George VII left the throne as he came to it, young and suddenly. He was killed in a freak shuttle-racing accident in November 2142, his vehicle being ploughed into by a German competitor as it left pit lane. Foul play was suspected but never proven. His dream of a new Empire teetered on the brink of ruin as his very young daughter, Victoria II, ascended to the throne at the tender young age of only 21.
The Second Victorian Era
- Victoria II ascended to the throne in 2142 at the age of 21.
- She fast-tracked the construction of her father's FTL ship, and in 2143 sent it to colonuise the Hydra system.
- She died in 2227 at the age af 106, succeeded by George VIII.
The Empire today
British Political organisations
The British Military
- The Royal Space Navy, also known as His/Her Majesty's Space Navy (HMSN).
- The SSS (Special Space Service)
- The HMIGF (His Majesty's Imperial Ground Forces)
British Persons of Note
- King William VI
- First Space Lord Sir Lawrence Allaware
- Minister Responsible for MI7 Sir Ambrose Blakeney
British Territories
Current British Characters
- Lady Stephanie Fairnsborough, Third Earl of Victoria.
- Captain Albert Templestone, RSN
- Captain-Pilot Jane Blackthorne of New Trinity House
