Every generation has its defining moment. That singular event that the world remembers above all others for its tragedy or greatness- the moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, September 11th, 2001, and now the presidential inauguration of Alexander Douglas.

Alexander Douglas was born in rural Indiana to parents Cynthia and Johnathan Douglas. He was the second of four children raised in their small, three-bedroom home. He went to public schools, where he showed a passion for the arts, maintained respectable grades, and had no shortage of friends. After high school, he attended business school for four years before graduating and starting a marginally successful business, selling some sort of new fad. (I’d tell you what it was, but no one remembers, it never caught on.) He eventually went bankrupt and developed an interest in politics. From these humble beginnings, he rose to governor, senator, and now, president. Everyone knows these things -they are certifiable facts- but it was what no one expected, no one knew, that made Douglas’ Inaugural Address so memorable.

In 1963, his parents came to America, and they became citizens in 1969. While this may seem like a trivial fact, it is more important than you can imagine. The man who granted them citizenship wasn’t big on geography, so when they told him they were from Altterra, he just assumed it was one of those small European nations and passed them on through. They had, after all, passed the tests with flying colors.

Needless to say, Altterra isn’t in Europe.

This is how the first extraterrestrials became legal citizens of the United States of America, and how their son was legally elected president. The information was all verified before he was ever allowed to run for office, though it wasn’t until his speech that he unmasked himself for the world to see.

Naturally, there was an uproar. People across the globe panicked, and all out-war seemed inevitable. Years of working in politics, however, had earned him plenty of friends and supporters in high places. Once it became clear that removing him from office was not going to happen, and other world leaders had been convinced to back down from their high alert, the world settled in to see what would happen next.

Americans were apprehensive, but he started delivering on his campaign promises within months. He tapped into the emergency petroleum reserves, and flooded the market with fuel, putting a swift end to the ever-mounting energy crisis of the past decade. Not everyone was supportive of this move, claiming that if disaster struck, we wouldn’t be able to cope with the diminished reserves. His only response to doubters was that in the months to come, they would fully understand his motives.

True to his word, a revolutionary new engine was unveiled by the Big 3 automakers a month and a half later. This new line of engines would run completely on water, and would create thousands of new jobs throughout the nation. America rejoiced.

The rest of the world watched as America changed. Fear crept further and further into their minds as America unveiled each new innovation. Each new piece of technology was evaluated for its possible uses as a weapon. Some demanded a preemptive strike against what they saw as an evil alien overlord bent on world conquest, but fear of retaliation from otherworldly forces of an unknown but presumably superior level of development kept anyone from being making the first strike. President Douglas did everything he could to ease tensions, including distribution of an Alterran Awareness pamphlet worldwide.

Ultimately peace failed.