The Battle of Epsilon Reticuli changed The War for us in many ways. It was not the destruction of so many ships that changed things. We had the industrial capacity to replace them. It was the psychological impact that made the difference. And my family was not immune. They made moves in reaction to the battle. I took advantage of the chaos my family created to empower my plans. And so Wolfenheim began to rise long before it ever left Alpha Centauri.
The German people were angry after World War I. They saw themselves as the victims of foreign powers and a government too weak to stand against them. A series of Socialist and Workers’ parties called for a change, and shouted for revolution when they thought the time was right to begin their march into history. Government forces crushed them with ease and imprisoned the leaders. I often wonder what history would look like if they had been executed instead.
Beyond the beaches of Canopus there are also vast fields that grow succulent foods. And of course they take special care to make the special stuff. There is a reason that Canopian brandies and wines are famous everywhere we have flown. Brandywine Spirits makes the best stuff, in my opinion, around a self-named lake and river large enough to generate its own microclimate. And during the brief winters, they make some delectable ice wines.
We established the Great Pacific Firewall to protect the remaining American computer networks from Chinese hackers. The fall of Japan and the Philippines shattered the firewall for a time, and the Kingdom of Hawaii became a highway for Chinese hackers. Amber arranged for some servers and generators to be “misplaced” on their Midway Islands, and they quickly became the heart of the new firewall. And that is why her firewall cover art wears a grass skirt.
While the Japanese were busy building a new empire and the Allies worked to disassemble other empires, the shattered husk of Germany labored under odious Allied sanctions. Required to pay reparations and give up vast tracts of resources, the German economy entered a period of hyperinflation as it proved unequal to the task. People lost faith in the government that could not keep them secure, and a new revolution began to build.