Masters, Phil. "Calculated Risk"
Divergence: 1008 CE
What if: 'Abd al-Malik, chief minister of the Caliphate of Al-Andalus, survived the disease that killed him in our timeline, and went on to strengthen the caliphate so that it survived to become a major world power.
Summary: At about the present day, an Andalusian spy brings an "Ottman" Turkish defector in from North Africa, despite violent opposition. The defector reveals a top secret and bizarre Ottman threat.
Published: In Interzone #126 (December 1997).