[really, really Infinities] strange things are afoot

[HRogge]

You seem to be a little hung up on political/economic dominance, like the Fen must be kings of the solar system or else it's all for nothing.

No, I don't.

Things are different here.

In the mainline the Fen control the solar system, but they're largely considered irrelevant on Earth, at best tabloid fodder and at worst a nebulous boogeyman for the paranoid. Here, the Fen don't control the solar system (they've got claims on big chunks, but actual control is limited to places like Callisto, Titan, Oberon and Triton) but they are very relevant on Earth. Fen 'culture' is a big thing downstairs, it's not some shunned subculture that exists to be poked at on an episode of CSI, it's trendy. There are scenesters who wear "authentic" gatecrasher jackets with patches and insignia. Nerdy kids have posters of Stella Via or the Port Lowell domes on their walls and dream of being the next Callie MacDonald. Japanese fashion districts look to Luna and the sky-habitats of Venus for inspiration. Martian punk folk is the next big thing on Billboard. These things are important, they matter more than how many ships or guns or lines drawn on a map there are.

Here, the Fen are pretty obviously on the political edge, and that probably won't change until the TITANs wake and eat Earth. But they've got one huge advantage that the mainline Fen don't have: the respect and interest of the 'Danelaw.

Yes, that would work too... *nod*

Because if they would neither have some interesting tech, large enough numbers nor cultural influence, they would quickly become a sidetracked minority.

Having a more open relationship with the rest of Humanity also helps to create story plots in "mixed environments".