Involvement In History II

An occasional scenario in either historical or time travel fiction:

an important event happens exactly as described by historians;

behind the scenes, a fictional character unknown to history plays a crucial role in bringing about the occurrence of the event.

Examples:

the Scipios survived the battle at Ticinus, thanks to the intervention of two stun gun-wielding Time Patrol agents disguised as Roman soldiers;

Oliver Cromwell was not assassinated when refusing the crown, thanks to the intervention of secret agent, Nicholas Pym - but a fanfare covered the sound of Pym's gun.

I encountered a similar situation on a smaller scale. A trade union branch secretary was caught between his members who wanted to march through town and a policeman who was telling him that they could not do that. Behind the scenes of history, as it were, a local political organizer quietly advised the branch secretary, "Just march. What can they do but police the demonstration as they always do?" And that is what happened. Labor history records only that workers marched, not that a "Trot" (Trotskyist) crucially intervened.

As before, Poul Anderson's Murder In Black Letter is less easy to read on screen and must compete with more attractive looking, newer items like the Bentham Final Years volume. However, everything will be read, just not on any particular timetable. Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.