[Astromancer]

Centrum is beside themselves on this Q6 world. It was a fairly standard Homeline Echo until their was and Anglo-American war in the 1870's. It seemed to blow up out of nowhere. America wasn't prepared and got beaten. Britain took Alaska and Washington and Idaho territories.

The American elites decided they needed a large navy, as large as Britain's and with ships in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. They've also reached out to the Russians, always wanting an ally against Britain in this period. With the New Kaiser wanting a powerful Germany navy the USA reached out to them as well.

Britain is in a state of misery. They can't keep up with both German and American naval expansion at the same time. Moreover, America now seems to see getting an empire as a matter of defending their right to trade and their territorial integrity. They want their lost territories back and Canada into the bargain so as to make it harder for England to attack again. This radically increases the military cost of defending Canada. Moreover someone convinced the American congress that only a nationally funded education program to guarantee every American child an education to high standards would make it possible to keep America independent. Given America's rapid population, economic, and technological growth, Britain fears being totally outclassed.

This was the plan of one German nationalist out-timer. He's a mutant from a post-apocalyptic parallel. He had been working with a Midwinter Aton cell. But he decided they'd outlived the usefulness.So he killed them. He has no need of Nazi's. He's has already sterilized both of Hitler's parents, as well as the parents of several other key Nazis.

He figures that there will be no Anglo-American alliance in this world. France and Britain will be kept in check by an American, German, Russian, accord. He assumes he's got more to do to prevent WWI, but he feels he's made a start.

Meanwhile, the Cabal traced the MidWinter Aton cultists to this parallel and is determined to find them. Centrum wants to keep Britain in tact and strong at all costs. Homeline wants to knows why this world is so odd. And MidWinter Aton wants to know why they haven't heard from their local cell lately.