ISS Enterprise-The Gift of Blood
The Augments, they were called, were originally pioneered to guide humanity to a shining age of peace and prosperity. They were bred to be stronger, think faster with more intelligence than the smartest human alive. It was also judged that there emotional responses would be curtailed somewhat to prevent rash action, emotional responses to problems. It was hoped to be that logic and reason would and could be used to prevent such occurrences such as race politics, genocides and wars due to prejudice and mistrust. The man who perfected the process, one of the most infamous men in Terran history, was called Soong. The name Soong had been attached to many famous scientific breakthroughs of each age, some had joked that Soong was in fact a clone due to the families extreme similarities in their appearance. Soong's first Augment was called Khan Noonian Singh, due to the fact Khan inherited most of Soong's partner genes, a Sikh women. At first the boy had seemed a success, he excelled academically, he was gifted and talented at many if not all the things he did. Soong held up his own Son as an example of what humanity could achieve, the government sanctioned Augments as one of the potential ways forward and many more were made.
However was Khan reached his teenage years it became increasingly obvious that there were risks involved due to his Augment nature. He did not interact with other children and when he did interact it was not well, he dwarfed them in terms of intelligence and viewed them as silly and immature. When he played sport there would sometimes be accidents, non-Augments were so much more fragile and had far less endurance. Accidents happen of course, but it became clear that Khan has little time or sympathy for those he injured, at first he had the excuse of being too busy working but as time went on, even if the excuse were true, it started to unnerve his teachers and other children just how little they bothered him, just how little he cared despite his abilities. No crimes no deliberate violence just a chilling coldness towards his fellow human beings, or has he often called them non-Augments.
The only being Khan was said to have cared for was his father; he often helped his father though is father would never guess why Khan was so interested in genetic sciences, would never guess why his Son wanted to be just like him. Khan excelled at University, and chose his Father's field of work despite his excellence at anything he applied his mind to. Other Augments were made, all of whom were led to believe that it was Khan who had perfected his father's work, making their engineering easier and eliminating the risks which Khan's father had gone to create him, risks the superior being had survived. Yet Khan was the strongest and most brilliant of them all, perhaps a quirk of science or perhaps by his own doing, whatever the truth the created Augments called Khan their creator and Father, Soong was sidelined as a co-creator. Soong was becoming aged, though he had other sons he rarely saw them, it was always debated as to whether the man had died naturally or as a result of foul play. Khan vowed to continue his father's dream, eyes tearful yet dignified in his grief. The world never guessed what Khan thought his father had stood for, but so they applauded his speeches and termed both father and son as heroes.
It was only when across the planet mutagenic virus's began to spread, virus's which coincidentally only affected non-Augments. Of course Khan had developed a cure, long ago, but he waited until he was made the Dictator of Asia, and his other Augment men and women began to take power. It became clear all too late that Khan had engineered an army, just in case he had to take power. However Khan knew the humans would turn to the Augments to save them from certain doom and the human population did exactly that. The death toll rose as Khan calmly and logically waited, he viewed human deaths as inconsequential and their own fault. They gave the Augments practically everything they wanted-power, money from taxation and a civilian population to rule with an iron fist. Though Star Fleet records have no doubt that the virus was engineered by Khan, events orchestrated by him based off highly complex probability algorithms yet even the most biased historians noted that it Khan was true to his word, the virus was quickly wiped out once the cure was released to the general population. With Terra Prime in his hands, it seemed as though the Augments were utterly unstoppable. The methods the Augments used to keep rule were largely peaceful, though they occasionally unleashed a biological weapon to kill several million people to remind the human populace of their place.
However Soong Jr, the only biological heir that historical records are sure about at this period emerged from hiding, having feared that Khan would hunt him down should the Augment's true biological son take his place at his father's side. While Khan has been living a life of luxury in his palace, Soong had been back to his father's lab to look for clues to weaknesses in the Augments that had been grown, for weaknesses in the weapons they used. It was here he discovered the now illegal and outdated technique of vaccinating humans with Augment blood which would give them immunity to the Augments biological weapons, using himself as the first test subject. Soong released his findings to the few non-Augment military generals that had not been replaced, who then ensured that their human troops were vaccinated. The Augments, who Soong predicted had no idea of his whereabouts or the developments of his research, arranged a conference of their kind to discuss the new empire they were building. The opportunity to kill so many Augments at once could not be missed, and so this attack which killed all the Augments involved began the Eugenics Wars, which eventually escalated to World War Omega since the world powers scrambled to take the beginnings of Khan's empire for their own. Khan himself however was never accounted for, he and his Augments developed the world's first stasis ship SS Botany Bay transport human labour to other planets, as it happened the Augments themselves escaped on their own prison ship.
It was Soong, Colonel Green and Zefram Cochrane who eventually led humanity out of the darkness of radiation and despair, founding both Star Fleet and the Terran Empire after defending Earth from its first extra territorial scouting party-
"I thought I might find you here, Captain." T'Pol, despite her Vulcan nature, managed to convey a tiniest shred of amusement by raising her eye brows. Archer, who was usually annoyed when his studies were interrupted let it go, motioning her to join him. She obeyed him instantly so he rewarded her by casually caressing her while she looked over the history logs.
"This is a very imprecise history Captain, there are no dates...scant details...sure you were only reading this to ridicule it?"
Captain Archer, despite his worried state of mind, laughed. T'Pol knew him very well, especially since he had so often ridiculed the work of her colleagues in the past while she calmly watched on.
"The facts don't exist T'Pol, there are no dates because most of Terra's computers were reduced to slag, very few records survive. We are lucky to know as much as we do about the period with so many dead...had it not been for Colonel Green leading humanity to victory and keeping the gene pool free from contamination, who knows...most of this history is based off the founding three's accounts."
"I see...and now we encounter the Augments in space. Who knows what weapons they've built or scavenged in the time they've been out here. In all likelihood they will have thawed themselves at timed intervals so there was always a skeleton crew, especially after they encountered the two fleets."
"Clearly whatever they have would have been enough to destroy both fleets otherwise they wouldn't be sat there in space like that..."
There was a familiar flash in the corner of Archer's eye as Q appeared once more before him, T'Pol was startled, drawing her phaser, but Archer made her lower it with a look. Turning to face the slyly smiling being Archer couldn't help but smile back. He couldn't help but feel a certain liking for the Q.
"I suppose your thinking with your...limited sense of scope and perspective Captain that you really ought to just shock and awe with those torpedoes of yours and blast the Botany Bay into atoms. The brutality is amusing; however your old friend Q has come to inform you of several more interesting prizes..."
Q trailed off, watched as the anger in Archer's eyes turned into the glint of infinite ambition, watched as his words sunk in and noted how, instead of threatening or interrupting him, Archer restrained himself to allow Q to continue.
"The Botany Bay was overrun; they took the ship and assimilated the crew. That's the bad news. The good news is that the two fleets you see broadcast a jamming field which cut the Augments off from the collective. Our friend Khan learnt to use his own Augment blood in synthesis with the Borg nano-technology to reap some of the benefits of assimilation such as the advanced, by your standards, shielding that the Borg utilise. That's the prize we Q are offering you: slower ageing, advanced shielding, resistance to disease and most importantly of all a way to ensure your chosen successor. If you're successful, I have every faith that you will be, then you will have the power to bestow the gift of your blood on any person you see fit. Imagine your successors, safe and secure because they have the gift of your blood in their veins. "
T'Pol had been listening intently, her gaze slowly going from Q as he spoke to Archer. Archer noted the sensuality of that gaze, to her he was the embodiment of power and with her help logical also. They had though come to the realisation that they were unable to conceive a child. T'Pol suspected it might be due to Delta radiation, Star Fleets insurance against family dynasties onboard ships, Archer had theories of his own. The Q being watched them both intently, as if reading their minds. It smiled knowingly at them.
"Oh do you seriously think we Q would curse you with a child? On the contrary we have far grander designs for the two of you if you pass our tests. Those designs are for another day however and I really must meet up with my counterpart from the other Universe, he tells such great stories!"
"Wait, please wait a minute I have one more question?"
"If I can't have children of my own, how on Earth am I supposed to choose my successor?"
"My dear Captain you will live far longer than most...all you two have to do is survive our tests and wait. A man will join Star Fleet. He will rise quickly through the ranks and he will come to command the newly christened ISS Enterprise."
"Still a bit vague Q, a name would be helpful so I know not to have this person killed."
"A fair point...oh very well! His name is James Tiberius Kirk. Now gather your wits Captain, your test awaits you."
Archer and T'Pol looked on in stunned silence as the Q being vanished with a flash. Archer went to her and they held each other, grander designs, the phrase echoed in his mind. As did the name of his one day successor, Archer would have to be alert and on the lookout. Perhaps Q would finally reveal the grander designs and perhaps Archer's long labours, which lay before him clearly, would finally come to an end. It was part curse part blessing, for Archer knew he might have to spend many years waiting, searching, despairing and hoping until one day he found James. T. Kirk.
