15 April 1610

How often do we see Manse Everard in a spaceship? At the Time Patrol Academy in the Oligocene, he is taught how to handle one. While fellow cadet Whitcomb chats to their instructor:

"Everard said nothing. He was too captured by the spectacle of Earth, rolling enormous against the stars." (Time Patrol, p. 14)

On 15 April 1610 (pp. 719-722), his timecycle materializes in the receiving bay of a ship in Earth orbit (very like a "transporter" arrival in Star Trek):

"It was orbiting dayside when Everard arrived, and the planet stretched vast, blue swirled with white around the ruddinesses that were continents." (p. 719)

(My lap top recognizes "ruddiness" although not the plural "ruddinesses." However, Anderson not only deployed a vast vocabulary but also used it creatively.)

This time, Everard is too busy to enjoy the view. His colleagues have, by orbital observation, identified the exact moment of Castelar and Tamberly's arrival at Machu Picchu (see image). The Patrol will strike the Exaltationists immediately after Castelar's escape.

"Not before, because that did not happen. We dare not undermine even this forbidden pattern of events." (p. 720)

But they do undermine another forbidden pattern. Castelar and Tamberly had disappeared from within a treasure house but the Patrol puts them back in there almost immediately after the Exaltationists had kidnapped them, thus canceling the experiences of the Patrol agent who had investigated the disappearance - and thereby also cancelling how many other related events? I suspect that the threads of the story might unravel at this point.

Back in 1610, the Patrol must strike immediately after Castelar's escape so that the Exaltationists have no time to think, "He has escaped. He might alert the Patrol. Flee!" Armed timecycles jump from within the spaceship to the "...enormous azure..." (p. 720) above Machu Picchu. Everard materializes near the permanently aloft Exaltationist sentry and Gunner Tetsuo Motonobu, sharing Everard's cycle, shoots him down. Everard power-dives, protected from wind by "...an invisible force screen." (p. 721) His fellow agents fire at the buildings occupied by Exaltationists and the battle is over when Everard arrives. Varagan has escaped because he was just about to go elsewhere/when for medical attention to a bad sword wound. Others who scattered randomly on timecycles might never find each other.

In the east, Everard sees:

"...the Gate of the Sun on its ridge, edged black against heaven." (p. 722)

The Exaltationists wear black. They will rise again.