Reed, Robert. "Hexagons"
Divergence: c 300 CE
What if: The Roman Empire did not fall to barbarian invasions but persisted for the next 1500 years.
Summary: A boy living in the New Lands in 1933 CE tells of his father running for elective office, and of the opposing candidate who rants of betrayals that have put Christian Rome behind the technological prowess of China and India.
Published: In Asimov's Science Fiction, July 2003.
Awards: Nominee: 2003 Hugo for best novelette.