One-Way Ticket

"Remember -- the Time Stream cannot be rewound. Once you are in it, it's a one-way ride. No revisions, no resets, no do-overs. You will have to face the full consequences of every choice you make and deal with them as best you can. Some will be uncomfortable and irreversible."

"No worries. I've been training for this all my life."

"Gaia is a fascinating world to explore, but leave that to the anthroscientists and geologians. Keep your mind on your mission. Find Queen Esmerelda and escort her to a safe haven before the Inquisition finds her."

"How hard can that be? Queens are very high profile."

"She isn't a queen yet. She's an obscure peasant girl who had no idea that there is royal blood in her veins."

"Obscure? You never said anything about obscurity in the briefing! How am I supposed to find an anonymous peasant girl who could be anywhere on the planet?"

"You can make discreet inquiries. She known as Katie Karynsdotter. If that fails, you will have to infiltrate the Inquisition and wait until a Delator informs them of the whereabouts of the second daughter of the late departed Eric the Infidel. Then you'll have to get to her before they do. Kidnap her if you have to. She may not be inclined to trust a stranger."

"Is she beautiful, at least?"

"Passably, after a bath."

"Why is Katie so important, again?"

"If she survives, she will embrace her destiny when she comes of age. She is both persuasive and resourceful, capable of ushering in the Golden Age."

"If she survives? I thought her survival was an immutable part of the time line."

"Some things are not as immutable as we thought."

"And if Esmeralda doesn't survive? What happens then?"

""According to the latest computer simulation, the Inquisition will rule for twelve hundred years. They will develop fearful technology, declare our kind anathema, and proceed to exterminate us."

"Exterminate us? How is that possible? They are permanently locked into their time line. We are perfectly safe here in the Eternal Continuum!"

"That is what our scientists told us.  That is why we have no defenses or weapons. The most up-to-date projections suggest that the only recourse we have is to manipulate human history."

"So I am about to be inserted into Time Tyranny, where there are no do-overs, in order to re-write history? Isn't this in direct contravention of the Fifth Sacred Directive?"

"The Great Council has just approved a Thirteenth Directive: ALL DIRECTIVES BE NUL AND VOID IF THEY LEAD TO OUR DESTRUCTION."

"How convenient. I've noted the councilors' fondness for creating new laws when the existing ones didn't suit them, but I never thought they would go that far. What happens if I am killed in the time stream? Will I be eternally dead?"

"Further study is required for a definitive answer. However, you may be sure of one thing: your name will be entered in the Annals of Fame and honoured forever. "

"I wouldn't be able to enjoy that if I didn't exist, would I? Let's just put this project on hold until we've clarified the parameters."

"I am a simple AI, not an administrator. I am not authorized to make changes in the mission programming. We must proceed."

"I have no say in the matter, then? I'm the one who takes all the risks, and I have no choice at all? That's insufferable!"

"Sir, you signed the consent form. Would you like to review a copy? I could squeeze three minutes and fourteen seconds out of the countdown sequence."

"Never mind. It would take longer than that to find a suitable loophole. Just tell me on thing: What happens if I fail to save Katie/Esmeralda?"

"You will live under the rule of the Inquisition for as long as they allow."

"And if I succeed in my mission, how long will it be before I am extracted?"

"There is currently no Time Stream extraction technology. That information is in footnote number 6 on page 46 of your first-stage manual."

"Damn. I never bothered to read the footnotes. So -- if I fail, I will be under the thumb of the Inquisition, and if I succeed, I will have to face the wrath of an adolescent princess who is not amenable to kidnapping."

"Seduce her. That is standard procedure in their tales. Who knows, if she takes a fancy to you, you may end up being king."

"IF? Why is everything IF all of a sudden? Don't you KNOW anything?"

"Human existence is very unpredictable."

"In that case, I quit. My briefing was inadequate, and I am unprepared ..."

"The Temporal Capacitor is fully charged and must be discharged in 3 - 2 - 1 seconds. Blessings on your journey!"