The Royal Ethernautical Society

The Royal Ethernautical Society are one of the various sects and factions among the Sons of Ether.

## Nicknames

Ethernauts (common), Explorers, Transporters, Sky Cavalry

## History

In the secret history of the world, the Royal Ethernautical Society stands tall, claiming credit for the first voyage to the physical moon and the creation of the first human habitat in orbit. (All of which is impressive, even if Society historians have steadily de-emphasized the contributions of the Seekers of the Void.) It is undeniable that the two groups worked closely together before the paradigmatic disaster brought on by the Michelson-Morley Experiment. It is even speculated that if it were not for the unhappy tides of history, the two groups would have worked hand in hand to colonize outer space more extensively than the Void Engineers have done alone.

In 1851, the Society was given a royal charter to “exploit the phenomena of the Luminiferous Ether and Celestial Phlogiston for aerial exploration and to investigate the uncharted altitudes of the heavens.” To support the Seekers of the Void, advocates of Reason acquired the charter and then some of the finest Enlightened minds in Ether Science. Together, they made rapid progress, stunning the Order of Reason and the Queen’s Privy Council alike with a moon landing in 1892. Their success is still a state secret in the United Kingdom. In 1970, the government’s covert duplicates of the Ethership failed, and officials have been inclined to regard the whole thing as an old royal hoax since then.

When the Electrodyne Engineers gathered in 1865, the Royal Ethernautical Society’s delegates took center stage, arguing that their successful collective research was but a taste of what the assembled Scientists could hope to achieve. Indeed, subsequent exchanges between Scientists provided the breakthrough that allowed the moon mission to succeed. Electrodyne comrades perfected protective clothing, control systems and technology to counteract the pernicious microgravity of space. Subsequent missions utilized the parallel dimension of Etherspace to its fullest potential, and soon Ethernauts were exploring the new universe at the expense of physical space. Support for the Seekers of the Void’s jaunts through the more inhospitable deeps of physical space declined, angering the fellow Convention. Finally Victoria Station was secured in lunar orbit in 1900 — in Etherspace. Angered at the Society’s refusal to support a similar outpost in conventional space, the Seekers turned to Artificer tools to further their goals.

When the Electrodyne Engineers were forcibly divested of Etherspace as a future for the Consensus and ordered to help explore the Void instead, the Society naturally led the walkout. Etherspace represented a more civilized future than the rugged wasteland of physical space — and the success of Victoria Station was not to be mocked!

Once freed from the Order of Reason, the Ethernauts explored Etherspace aggressively, laying the foundations for Realms such as the Gernsback Continuum. When the Sons of Ether joined the Traditions, they also discovered that Etherspace represented a distinct strategic advantage, as vessels could use it as a “shortcut” to attack Void Engineer projects in real space. This blossomed into staggeringly complex engagements between Void Engines and Etherships around the Jovian moons. Neither side could allow access to the Tass-rich moons, but the battles served to bleed both sides to no advantage. The Society’s Earthbound work (focusing on propulsion systems and spin-off technologies for Sleeper use) was constantly delayed or refitted to serve an increasingly futile struggle.

Then the Reckoning struck, and the gates of Etherspace were smashed shut.

Despite the loss of so many Scientists on the front and the new irrelevance of its work, the Royal Ethernautical Society soldiers on. Ethernaut training has proven to be excellent preparation for exploring the lost reaches of the world. Etheric and conventional propulsion Science is now employed on Earth, and Ethernaut designs have become serious contenders for mainstream use as Ether-exciting technologies are applied to hydrogen and uranium. Ironically, conventional space has returned to the agenda, and the faction is finally catching up to its old Void Engineer rivals. Nevertheless, armored Etherships still make occasional treks into other dimensions, looking for stranded Sons of Ether and exploring with a new sense of caution.

## Science

The Royal Ethernautical Society divides its efforts into three fields. Propulsion Science uses the Spheres of Forces, Correspondence and Spirit to move brave Ethernauts across the globe or into the unknown. Recently, personal vehicles and propelled environment suits have become especially popular. Time and Dimensional travel is still an important aspect of Society research, especially when the exciting implications of quantum physics have increased the possibilities that Etherspace travel might become a viable Consensual activity. Unfortunately, the field is so dangerous that Scientists can only afford to support a handful of missions.

Material Sciences work to create light, strong alloys and polymers that can withstand the stress of experimental propulsion systems without overburdening vessels. Spinoffs from this work provide a great deal of revenue, making this a popular area of study. Furthermore, proficiency with the Matter Sphere is common, allowing the Ethernauts to commission help from the rest of the Tradition. The most exotic work revolves around “powered” atomic bonds. The Prime Sphere is used to channel Quintessence into enhancing the strong electromagnetic force, either through classical Ether theory or by altering the quantum waveform of individual particles to maintain coherency. With an enhanced fundamental strength, such materials are designed to weather mundane and exotic stresses, up to and including the force of the Avatar Storm.

Human Sciences prepare Ethernauts for the rigors of travel. Scientists alter their subjects’ biochemistry to require less food and oxygen, enhance reflexes to improve their grace and coordination in low gravity and provide psionic senses able to detect dimensional instability and Ether-borne hazards. Most of this work involves the Life and Mind Spheres, manipulated through drugs, surgery and exotic radiation.

## Organization

The Society still clings to its old London offices, and an unassuming building in Soho houses its headquarters, preserved from the Technocracy by the very audacity that would later expel the Etherites from its grasp. The Ethernauts let the Order of Reason know in no uncertain terms that its former relationship with the British government, including its 19th-century space program, would be revealed unless they were left alone. Nowadays that threat holds little force, but the Technocracy no longer considers the guardians of a broken Etherspace worth sabotaging. Flaked lettering announces the Society’s name to anyone who looks, but most clubgoers assume that it’s an office now, and they rarely consider the eccentrics who regularly climb the stairs. These are usually Researchers, arrived to report the results of a Professor’s work to the society’s permanent Chairs — or these days, the barely qualified Professors that fill in.

To prevent any interference with its new projects, the Society sets up secret labs around the world. Ethernauts have quietly taken over abandoned Russian space program facilities in Kazakhstan. Makeshift labs in Canada (Ethernaut training) and Ecuador (conventional launches) round out their possessions.

The three permanent Chairs of the Society are the Sussex Chair of Propulsion, the Savage Chair of Human Sciences and the Queen’s Chair of Aeroframe Technologies. Other Chairs exist to accommodate qualified experts. Together, the Chairs form the Society’s Executive Directorate. Underneath them, a mixed board of Scientists and Sleepers handle practical matters and include a treasurer, patent lawyers and other functionaries. These Chairs coordinate the three primary labs along with independent Scientists around the world. The Society maintains permanent research and engineering groups, but it also supports Scientists in their own labs and the depths of the unknown when possible.