Colonization: Aftershocks

Plot

The 1965 nuclear conflict between Nazi Germany and the Race concluded with a German capitulation following the death of Führer Ernst Kaltenbrunner. His successor, Walter Dornberger, agreed to dissolve the Axis forces, pull German troops out of Occupied France, and dismantle Germany's rocket and nuclear programs. This withdrawal triggered political turmoil among Germany's allies, including the British Union of Fascists under Oswald Mosley in the United Kingdom, clashes between the Free French and the new government in liberated France, and radioactive contamination drifting into the Soviet Union. Unbeknownst to the public, Dornberger began secretly hoarding weapons and missile components, preserving the possibility of future rearmament.

At the same time, the truth behind the nuclear strike on the Race's colony fleet from Second Contact came to light: it was an American attack ordered by President Earl Warren. Upon this revelation, Fleetlord Atvar presented Warren with a choice: either dismantle the U.S. space program or allow the Race to destroy Indianapolis, Indiana, as retribution. Astonishingly, Warren permitted the destruction of Indianapolis, then took his own life. Vice President Harold Stassen assumed the presidency. It later emerged that Warren sacrificed the city to protect a secret American starship project, intended to travel to the Race's homeworld and return the visit.

Meanwhile, the Race faced significant internal upheaval due to the effects of ginger on its females. This substance led to widespread drug addiction, a thriving black market, prostitution, and the emergence of marriage as a practice. The Race's reproductive system became unregulated, resembling that of humans.