Contrast the Time Traveller's mad flinging of himself "'...into futurity.'" with Manse Everard's precise deployment of timecycles while apprehending the last Exaltationists in 209 BC.
At a temple of Poseidon outside the city of Bactra, a priest, a devotee and a pilgrim are two Exaltationists and Everard in disguise. One Exaltationist, Draganizu, wears a stolen Time Patrol communicator disguised as a medallion. Despite several Syrian soldiers guarding the Exaltationists, Everard attacks and kills Draganizu, disables his companion, snatches and activates the medallion and says in Temporal:
"'Unattached Everard. Come immediately. Combat.'" (p. 113)
Time Patrol agents on five timecycles arrive and stun the soldiers. Another two Exaltationists in the city have a detector that will inform them of the arrival of timecycles. Everard, taking charge of one timecycle, leads two others in flying above the city. Everard and Imre Ruszek, on their single timecycle, appear in the Exaltationists' dwelling one minute before the detector sounds its alarm. They arrive in front of a locked door previously noticed by Everard, thus blocking access to the Exaltationists' timecycles. One Exaltationist runs around a corner and is shot dead by Ruszek. The other surrenders.
Everything depends on the five timecycles arriving when Everard calls them, then Everard and Ruszek arriving before the alarm sounds, which means that Everard and Ruszek arrive in the Exaltationists' house one minute before the five timecycles arrive at the temple.
2 comments:
Of course, the timecycles can come at the -precise- instant Everard needs them...
Kaor, to Both!
One thing I regret is how we never see that exile planet where time criminals were banished after being tried by Patrol courts. What was it like and how were convicts handled? I'm fairly sure the Patrol would not want highly intelligent temporal criminals living together--too much chance of them figuring out some deviltry!
Ad astra! Sean
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