Mr. Gordon says too much when recruiting Manse Everard. He tells him that he is:
"'...going to be a kind of policeman... Everywhere. And everywhen.'" (1, p. 5)
No, he is not, not immediately. Everard, like all of his class, begins as a attached agent, remaining in his own period, his first task merely to read newspapers looking for signs of time travel.
"'Your work will be mostly in your own eras, unless you graduate to unattached status. You will live, on the whole, ordinary lives...'" (2, p. 11)
At the very end of the story, Everard is told:
"'You've shown yourself obviously unfit for steady work.'" (6, p. 53)
But:
"'You'll want more training, of course. Your type of personality goes best with Unattached status - any age, any place, wherever and whenever you may be needed. I think you'll like it.'" (ibid.)
- which is what Gordon had said, prematurely.
Even if the Patrol does not usually look ahead, they obviously knew what they were getting with Everard and Whitcomb. The Danellian says that Everard's appeal on behalf of Whitcomb:
"...was known and weighed ages before you were born...'" (6, p. 51)
The Danellians exist over a million years after us, not ages before us, but of course they can time travel. They also knew of a discrepancy in Whitcomb's record but waited to see what Everard would do to rectify it.
Everard and Whitcomb were sent off on a dangerous mission as if at least one of them were already Unattached - but without proper preparation and no backup. Mainwethering told them that the stolen time shuttle had been recovered by two Patrolmen named Everard and Whitcomb before they had even set off. He should not have done that, either.
The Patrol already knew that they would lose Whitcomb but gain Everard as:
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
You're right, too much was said too soon about Everard and Whitcomb in "Time Patrol." Esp. that bit about "being a kind of policeman." I could argue the story was written early in Anderson's writing career, and thus, in many ways, still learning how to write, including how to avoid such oversights.
Ad astra! Sean
Everard's first assignment is like some police work -- undercover operations, specifically. It's even more like being a spy.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, that is exactly what many Patrol agents do, carrying out undercover operations. Examples being Patrol agents infiltrating Peenemunde and White Sands.
Ad astra! Sean
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