Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 22 Jan 2004 04:26:06 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: sisko2374@aol.com (Sisko2374) REP TOS "The Eugenics Wars: Opening Gambit", Khan, PG by Sisko2374@aol.com Summary: In October 1993, during his first diplomatic crisis with the West, Disclaimer: This story is set in the Star Trek universe, a fictional place created by Gene Roddenberry. Star Trek and its characters are the property of Paramount. This is a non-profit work of fiction. Any resemblance between the fictional characters herein and real people or corporations, such as ABC News and Unocal, is purely coincidental. Prologue: "To me, I confess, that countries are pieces on a chessboard upon which is being played out a great game for the domination of the world."---- Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, 1898 Ted Koppel shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "But Mr. President, don't you see how Americans might find you more than just a little bit intimidating? After all, you've succeeded in uniting the only two nuclear powers in South Asia, India and Pakistan, under a single government. Now you have 100,000 Indo-Pakistani troops in Iraq and Iran..." Khan waved his hand at the camera. "Excuse me Ted, those are not troops, but construction crews. We're building a pipe line." Koppel glanced briefly at the papers on his desk, then up at the camera. "From Kirkuk to Bombay? Even so, satellite pictures released by the Pentagon this morning show that these ‘construction crews' possess not simply bulldozers but tanks, rocket artillery and armored personnel carriers..." Khan interrupted once more. "To protect the pipeline, that is all. For three months of the year our military personnel perform public service in construction and agriculture. I believe you will find that it is a common practice in a number of countries around the world, including the former Soviet Union." An ironic smile played across Koppel's face. "Which you played no little role in helping to bring down during your successful prosecution of the guerilla war in Afghanistan. And that's another area of concern, Mr. President. What began in Russia this week with Boris Yeltsin besieging the Russian parliament with tanks, ended in the overthrow of Mr. Yeltsin's government. This opens up a new round of instability in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Many are speculating as to just why it was your government that was the first to recognize the new government in Moscow. Is there some connection between you and the men who seized power this week? Can we expect some kind of Indo-Russian military alliance in the weeks to come?" Khan smiled and shook his head. "It is a violent and uncertain world in which we live today. I am a man of peace. One of the best ways to maintain peace is through trade. Our recognition of the new Moscow government was based purely upon considerations of commerce. As you are probably aware, Russia and India have had strong diplomatic and trade ties going back to the 1960's. We share many of the same technologies. We simply wished to avoid any sudden interruptions in the supply of spare parts between our two sovereign nations. The only connection here is the peaceful, uninterrupted continuation of trade." Koppel shifted gears, pursuing another attack. "As a man of peace, you do have certain credentials, Mr. President. In 1992 you managed to unite almost the entire Indian subcontinent bringing to an end a period of extreme ethnic unrest and civil strife in both countries. Once you managed to unify India and Pakistan in a new confederation, you immediately followed that up by brokering a mutual defense pact between your government and Iraq and Iran, bringing those two former adversaries under the protection of your nuclear shield only five years after a long and bloody war. Many would say that for a man of peace you seem to thrive on conflict Mr. President." Khan leaned forward into the camera. "I thrive on healing conflicts Ted. For the first time since 1947, when the British maneuvered to partition India, Hindu and Moslem are once again united in one country. Where is the threat to peace in that? Everything I have done since the war in Afghanistan has been with the goal of peace and greater unity of peoples who deserve a better future. Even in Afghanistan, after Kabul fell, I personally guaranteed the safety of President Najibullah, allowing him passage out of the country," Undeterred by Khan's response, Koppel pressed home. "Yet during the war in Afghanistan, Soviet officers who fell into your hands were routinely tortured and murdered. Even Soviet enlisted men. How does that record sit with your new Russian allies?" Khan shook his head slowly. "War is never a pretty business, Ted. It is not all deeds of heroism, like in one of your Hollywood movies. The clans of Afghanistan were fighting for their freedom, as they have for over 2,000 years. Their resentment of foreign invaders is legend. Their handling of Russian prisoners was well known, even approved, among their American sponsors. None of us are innocent Ted. " Koppel shifted his attack. "Innocent or not, President Khan, some would still argue that, despite your proclamations of peace, you are engaged in empire building. That after the fall of the Chinese People's Republic in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, you are attempting to step into their shoes and assemble a new super power." Khan spread his hands and laughed. "Just because the United States won the Cold War, does that entitle it to be the only super power in the world? If we in Southern Asia are becoming a super power Ted, it is a super power of peace and mutual prosperity. Our economies have been dominated for centuries by the West and in fact they still are. But we have good relations with Western businesses, and American ones in particular. We have negotiated a deal with Unocal to build a pipeline through Afghanistan and Indo-Pakistan to the sea, so that the natural gas resources of the Caspian may be exploited for everyone's benefit. Our weapons, the few that we have, are only for our own defense." Koppel allowed a wry smile on his lips, then proceeded to a new attack. "Before we conclude tonight, President Khan, there is another aspect of your government that we must discuss, one that I think most people might find a bit disturbing. Last week you signed into law a decree that requires every citizen of your country below the age of 50 to surrender, by blood test, samples of their DNA to the government. There is a rumor that you intend to use those samples to determine, at a later date by computer correlation, whom people should be allowed to marry and have children with. That you are, in fact, about to embark on some monstrous eugenics experiment with nearly a quarter of the planet's human population. Is this in fact what is going on?" Khan swallowed. He felt the anger rising within him, but fought it down and controlled it. "No, Ted, it is not. The purpose of mandatory DNA testing is simply to research congenital defects and diseases among our people, to assist medical research in finding ways to cure and prevent such problems. I would like to further point out that the findings of our research will be made available to the entire world. We will thereby help create a healthier and happier, longer living human race." Koppel glanced down at his notes briefly, then looked up. "There is even a rumor, Mr. President, that you yourself are a product of a rather advanced experiment in genetic manipulation." Khan laughed. "I work out a lot, that's all. Many heads of state do. A healthy body makes for an alert mind." Koppel nodded. "One more thing, Mr. President. Why did you shave your beard? Isn't that going to prove rather unpopular with your Sikh constituency?" "I did it so as not to frighten anyone in the West. We Sikhs are not well understood there. I wish to appear as civilized as you do Mr. Koppel. Or as your illustrious President does." "And on that hygienic note we must now conclude. Thank you President Khan." Khan nodded. "Thank you, Ted. Its been a pleasure." Koppel turned toward the center camera. "Tomorrow night: where is Boris Yeltsin? Is he alive or dead? We'll be talking to some of the people in Moscow, on both sides, who may know of his whereabouts." Voice over: "Night-line is a presentation of ABC News." Khan switched off the VCR, got up from his desk and walked over to the window. His old boss Brzezinski of the American National Security Council must have been leaking the information about his genetic engineering to the media. It was a bold move. Especially since the NSC/CIA had been responsible, after the stalemate of the Korean War, for the ‘super soldier' experiment that had given birth to him and the others. And that was all made possible because of the secret Nazi genetics program that the U.S. had plundered at the end of World War Two. If Khan was to reveal all that to the world.... No, Brzezinski had read him correctly. Khan could not risk it. On the other hand some nosey reporter might dig just a little too far... It made no difference. The idea of himself as a product of genetic manipulation had been planted in the popular imagination by this American newsman. That and the specter of a eugenics experiment in Asia would be used by the American government to fan the flames of war amongst their people against Khan's empire in formation. Yes, the Americans might very well attack soon, even with his new alliance with the Russians, with his men in Moscow. The Americans would never allow him to control the oil of the Mideast, to dictate prices, to use its income to industrialize South Asia under his rule. Besides, there was a greater prize at stake here than just oil. Just before Khan left for Afghanistan in 1986, his old boss Brzezinski had pointed out that Eurasia was the key to controlling the globe. That's why he and the other super soldiers were being sent to Afghanistan. It wasn't just simply to punish the Soviets for American defeat in Vietnam. It was the beginning of the struggle for the resources and wealth of the Eurasian land mass. In the end only one super power would dominate the world. And Brzezinski intended for that to be the United States. But Khan had had other ideas. Yes, all signs were that the Americans would attack soon. They were eager to get the game afoot in the Mideast. They had first wanted to flex their power in the region in ‘90, as Eastern Europe crumbled, to take advantage of Soviet weakness. When Iraq faced bankruptcy because of its Iranian war debt, they had tried to bait the Iraqis into annexing Kuwait, their ambassador even claiming that the U.S. had "no special interest' there. Fortunately, Khan's men inside the regime had been able to convince the dictator that it was a trap. Now Hussein was a vassal of Khan's empire, along with the Iranians and the Afghans. The Americans could not tolerate the construction of a new empire in the region, especially one that put South Asian resources under local control. Yes, the mutual defense pact with Russia must be signed, right away, this week, regardless of the disintegrated state of the Russian military. After all, they were still the only nuclear rival to the Americans. Khan watched the changing of his Presidential guard outside. He had made the opening move in the chess game. Now it was the American's turn. END "The Eugenics Wars" will continue with "Sacrifice of Pawns" -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Sat Jan 24 18:58:31 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n6.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.90]) by merlin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aKxDQ7E3NZFlq0 for ; Sat, 24 Jan 2004 15:56:42 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-12997-1074988497-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.