Carthaginians surround Publius Cornelius Scipio and his men;
Scipio Africanus leads horsemen to rescue his father;
a party of Carthaginian horsemen led by two Neldorians armed with guns approaches;
two Patrolmen dressed as Romans but armed with stunners approach on foot.
The second extra-temporal intervention cancels the first so the outcome of the battle is as it should be. The Romans lose but the Scipios escape.
Back at the Lodge:
the moon rises
snow glitters
a glacier shines
a wolf howls
Cro-Magnons chant
The Patrolmen could have returned Deirdre to her world but have now made it impossible to do so.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And one thing I remember about this part of "Delenda Est" was Manse reflecting on how he disliked the "cold and greedy" Roman Republic. Which he then modified by reminding himself the Scipios, father and son, were themselves decent men.
For all practical purposes, Deirdre's universe was "nullified," as far as she was concerned.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
It was because they didn't put her back into it when they could have done.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly so!
Ad astra! Sean
Well, not in the imaginarium of the Time Patrol. As far as the characters are concerned they rescued her from nullification -- from death.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
True, Piet van Sarawak rescued Deirdre from never having EXISTED at all. Not even as an aborted or exposed infant.
We have to remember that Paul's arguments for "deleted" universes not being nullified and simply being made inaccessible from the Danellian timeline, while convincing, were proposed to Anderson only after all of the Time Patrol stories had been written.
Ad astra! Sean
Two questions: what do the texts say and what does any given commentator think makes logical sense. I have the same kind of "arguments" with the text of THE TIME MACHINE.
Kaor, Paul!
I've read Wells THE TIME MACHINE, the first time, no doubt, because I hope his book would be interesting and pleasurable to read. And rereading it later from a sense of duty to a trailblazer and pioneer. BUT, it was Anderson's Time Patrol stories which I read and reread with pleasure and was glad to both think about and read what others, like you, said about those stories.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment