Title: Space Seed: A Different Reality

Rating: T

Setting: Set during the Star Trek Original Episode: Space Seed.

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns all, and I own nothing, not even the words. That said, the idea is mine – please do not repost this anywhere without my permission.

Author's Note: So…this story is a divergence of the Space Speed episode that changes the discovery of Khan and his followers were made public to the Federation instead of Kirk hiding them away on Ceti Alpha V. Kirk keeps Khan sedated until he is moved, along with the Botany Bay to the nearest Star Base. Khan and his followers are kept in hibernation – A new future for the Federation.

Dialogue Note: The initial dialogue is taken directly from the episode, but soon diverges after the discovery of Khan on the Botany Bay. After that, all of it is mine.

Chapter 1: Divergence

On stardate 3141.9, the Federation Starship, Enterprise comes across a derelict ship in space. As the Enterprise approaches, it matches speed with the slowing drifting craft.

- Enterprise Bridge -

Lt. Spinelli at the helm responded to his display, "Coming up on it fast, sir.

Kirk looked up from the PADD he was reviewing, "Are you certain of your sensor readings?"

Mr. Spock checked his scanner, "Definitely a space vessel of some type."

"Origin?" asked Kirk.

"Unknown. It could hardly be an Earth ship. There have been no flights into this sector for years.

Lt. Uhura responds to her communications panel, "I'm picking up a signal, sir. A series of beeps comes over the speakers on the bridge. "Captain, that's the old Morse code call signal."

Kirk replies, "Thank you."

Uhura reads her translation display, "CQ. CQ."

Kirk acknowledges her response, "We're reading it, Lieutenant." He looks over to Spock, "I thought you said it couldn't possibly be an Earth vessel."

"I fail to understand why it always gives you pleasure to see me proven wrong."

"An emotional Earth weakness of mine. There it is."

Both of them their attention to main bridge viewer as the ship appears on the screen.

Kirk looks, "An old Earth vessel, similar to the DY-500 class."

Spock provides a much more detailed estimate, "Much older. DY-100 class, to be exact. Captain, the last such vessel was built centuries ago, back in the 1990s."

"Then it's a derelict, its signal left on automatic."

Spock adds, "Or an old Earth ship being used by aliens."

Kirk clicks the Comm on his command chair, "Weapons status?"

Weapons Controller in phaser controller responds, "Deflector shields on maximum. Phasers manned, sir."

Kirk continues, "Bioscanners report."

Dr. McCoy responds over the Comm, "Life science bioscanners are picking up heart beats from over there. Can't be human, though. They're too faint, and average only four beats per minute."

Spock reports from the science station, "Sensor reading, Captain. Some sort of equipment functioning on that vessel."

Kirk directs, "All decks go to full alert."

The Enterprise drops from warp and comes alongside the smaller ship, which is comparable in size to the engineering hull.

Captain's log, stardate 3141.9. A full hour has elapsed since interception of the strange vessel. Our presence alongside is still being completely ignored. Although our sensors continue to show signs of equipment and life aboard, there has been no indication of danger to us.

Kirk clicks on his chair Comm unit, "Weapons department, maintain battle stations. All other decks standby alert."

Uhura responds, "All decks acknowledging, sir."

The lift doors open and Dr. McCoy comes onto the bridge and down towards the captain's chair.

"We're continuing to pick up some form of heart action over there. Very faint, very slow. Seems to be coming from about sixty or seventy bodies, as near as I can tell."

"Alien bodies, Bones?"

"Could be. There's no sign of breathing or other form of respiration."

From the science station, Mr. Spock reads additional scan data, "Hull surface is pitted with meteor scars. However, scanners make out a name. SS Botany Bay."

"Then you can check the registry.

He consults the library computer, "No such vessel listed. Records of that period are fragmentary, however. The mid-1990's was the era of your last so-called World War."

McCoy says, "The Eugenics Wars."

Spock looks over says, "Of course. Your attempt to improve the race through selective breeding."

McCoy counters, "Now, wait a minute. Not our attempt, Mister Spock. A group of ambitious scientists. I'm sure you know the type. Devoted to logic, completely unemotional."

Kirk interrupts, "All right, all right, gentlemen. As you were." He looks to the helm officer, "Rig for tractor beam, Helm. Lock onto that vessel."

Lt. Spinelli, "Rigging for tractor beam, sir."

Kirk gets up from the command chair and looks over to Mr. Spock, "The Bridge is yours, Mister Spock. Care to join the landing party, Doctor?" as he heads to the turbo lift.

"Well, if you're actually giving me a choice."

"I'm not. Oh, I'll need somebody familiar with the late 20th-Century Earth. Here's a chance for that historian to do something for a change." He looks over to Mr. Spock, "What's her name? McIvers?"

"Lieutenant McGivers," Spock corrects him.

- Lt McGivers' quarters -

Scene cuts to Lt McGiver's as she is just about to settle down to so some painting, when she hears Mr. Spock's announcement over the ship's intercom.

"Attention. The following personnel report to transporter room. Engineering Officer Scott, Lieutenant McGivers. Acknowledge."

McGivers goes to the wall intercom and hits the call button, "On my way." She grabs her tricorder and heads out of the hallway…forgetting to cover the painting a certain Indian leader in her common area.

- Transporter Room -

As the landing party member start coming into the transporter room, Mr. Scott is checking the auxiliary sensor panel, "Well, it looks like that ship was expecting us. We read heat coming on, complete oxygen atmosphere."

Kirk say, "Very interesting. You ready, Bones?"

"No. I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget," looking at the transporter pad with a scowl.

Kirk smiles, "You're an old-fashioned boy, McCoy," Kirk looks around and notices that they are missing a person, "Where's that historian?" As he finishes, the doors to the transporter room opens as McGivers enters, "Come on, Lieutenant…?"

"McGivers, sir."

Kirk nods and precedes to the transporter pad with the rest of the party. He turns around and looks to the transporter chief.

"Energize."

- SS Botany Bay -

As soon as they materialize, Scott and McCoy begin scanning…

"Oxygen, nitrogen atmosphere…a little thin, but breathable."

Kirk looks over to the control panel on the wall, "Scotty?"

Mr. Scott walks over the old style control panel on the wall and begins his examination, "Definitely Earth-type mechanism, sir. Twentieth century vessel. Old type atomic power. Bulky, solid. I think they used to call them transistor units. I'd love to tear this baby apart."

As Scotty continues to examine the control panels, Kirk, McCoy and Lt McGivers continue to examine the sleeper units.

"Captain, it's a sleeper ship," McGivers says looking at the sleeper cells.

Kirk asks, "Suspended animation?"

She nods, "I've seen old photographs of this. Necessary because of the time involved in space travel until about the year 2018. It took years just to travel from one planet to another."

"Is it possible they're still alive after centuries of travel?" he asks Dr. McCoy.

McCoy speculates, "It's theoretically possible. I've never heard of it being tested for this long a period."

"What a handsome group of people," she says as she walks up and down the sleeper cells and stops at particular bed, "Captain, look here!"

As they peer into the glass, Lt McGivers immediately recognizes the sleeping man.

"Sir, this man is Khan Noonian Singh!"

"Are you sure, lieutenant?" Kirk asks

"Yes, sir. I'm 90 percent sure. I completed my doctoral thesis on the Eugenics wars of the 20th century and I'm very familiar with all the key people of that era. This is definitely him."

"Lieutenant, tie into the ship's library computer and confirm your hypothesis."

"Aye, aye sir."

"Dr. McCoy, scan him and find out if he's really human."

"You got it, Jim."

Kirk opens his communicator, "Kirk to Enterprise,"

"Spock here, Captain."

"Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Lt McGivers are going to send you their tricorder readings over to the Enterprise for analysis. I would like you confirm the readings of what we've found here."

"Aye, sir, awaiting transmission. Opening link to the ship's library computer."

As Dr. McCoy and Lt McGivers finished uploading their findings to Mr. Spock, Kirk wanders over to the side of the control panel. He looks and finds a log book that was hurriedly stashed beside a console. He picks it up and reads the cover. It's the mission log for the ship printed in old-style laminated paper binder. As he's reading it, he walks over and shows it to the Lieutenant.

"Look at this Lt. Here's the mission log."

She took it from Kirk to examine as his communicator chirped… "Kirk, here."

"Spock here, sir. I've reviewed the data sent back by both Dr McCoy and Lt McGivers. I concur, this is definitely an Augment human. I even consulted an outside source, the Vulcan historical database to see if there are any mention of them from their pre-warp observations of Earth of that time.

"Both avenues confirm the data. My recommendation is caution and provided that this technology doesn't malfunction, we tow this ship to Starbase 13 before we attempt to wake up any of these humans. I highly recommend that we ensure that they are completely secured and sequestered from the general population for the current time.

"United Earth's ban on genetic engineering came about because of these very augments that we've discovered. Publicity of this type of information could be very disastrous for the Federation, not to mention Earth. This type of find needs to go up to the highest levels for determination and eventual outcome," finished Spock.

Kirk nodded his head in agreement with that summation.

As he spoke into the communicator, "Thank you Mr. Spock, I'll take your recommendation into account. Please keep this data link open should we require the need to send you additional data."

"Aye, sir."

Kirk closed his communicator keeping his communication open with Mr. Spock. , but Dr. McCoy's and the Lt's tricorder kept the data link to the ship's computer online for the time being.

He opens his communicator, "Kirk to Scotty, have you completed your initial estimate of the ships' systems?"

"Aye, sir…for a ship this old, it's in very good shape. Most of the computer systems and ship's primary reactor are still online and functioning…I think within their normal parameters. The only thing not functioning is the drive…a very primitive atomic drive."

"Can this ship stand up to the stress of being towed at warp?"

"…It could sir, but not at a very high warp….I'd say about Warp 2, not more than 3."

Kirk decides the risk is acceptable, "thanks Scotty, finish up your scans and head back to our location. We'll beam back to the Enterprise and make preparations for towing."

"Aye, sir, on my way…" He closes the communicator

Kirk looks at McCoy and McGivers, "Well, Bones, it seems that we've made a significant historical find for Earth. What's your evaluation?"

"They're human, Jim. Perfect specimens I might add. I detected no anomalies, no radiation mutations, nothing. They are in perfect health, just hibernating."

"Thank you, Bones."

Lt McGivers walks up the doctor and Kirk, "Sir, I've cross referenced my findings with pictures from the ship's library computer and from the images stored in the archives, they match. These are definitely the Augments that were unaccounted for at the end of war.

"Also, based on pictures, unclassified documents, and historical news items that survived the war, this is definitely Khan. He was the ruler of over 40 nations in Asia, to include China and India, between 1993 and 1999. His East Asia Union as it was called back then was the last one to fall to the combined forces of the United Nations."

"Sir, you'll find this interesting...from those surviving documents, many of the citizens of that East Asia Union were the most content-they didn't protest, society under him wasn't strict and they enjoyed the most peaceful existence as compared to the Augments that took control in Europe and Russia."

Kirk looked at her, "What's your recommendation, wake him up now? Or later?"

She replied, "Sir, I'd like to talk to him now, but I understand the security precautions from Mr. Spock's perspective."

"Noted; however, I'm erring on the side of caution. I'm taking them to Star Base 13 before any 'waking up' is going to happen. Short of any mechanical malfunction, that's what is going to happen."

"Aye, sir."

As Mr. Scott rounded the corner with his security escort, the landing party assembled for transport.

"Kirk to Enterprise, landing party ready to beam back."

- To be Continued -