The Time Traders · Chapter
V explained
Ross and Ashe, disguised as Beaker traders, travel to Bronze Age Britain via a time transition and a disguised submarine.
What happens
Ross and Ashe, disguised as Beaker traders, travel to Bronze Age Britain via a time transition and a disguised submarine. They discover Outpost Gog has been destroyed by an explosion, likely by Red agents. They investigate the ruins and head to Nodren's village to seek answers, with Ashe using his trader alias Assha.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Disguise
Ross and Ashe adopt Beaker trader identities, with careful attention to costume, language, and behavior to avoid detection.
Time Travel and Historical Exploration
The chapter details the time transition process and the journey to Bronze Age Britain, highlighting the challenges of operating in a past era.
Cold War Espionage
The destruction of Outpost Gog is suspected to be the work of Red agents, reflecting the espionage conflict between time-traveling factions.
Characters to notice
- Ross Murdock
Ross undergoes final checks for his Beaker trader disguise and travels with Ashe to Bronze Age Britain. He experiences the time transition and helps investigate the destroyed Outpost Gog.
- Ashe
Ashe leads Ross through the time transition and the journey to Britain. He identifies the destruction of Outpost Gog as likely caused by Red agents and decides to visit Nodren's village for information.
- Nodren
Nodren is the village headman Ashe intends to contact. The villagers are wary, calling Ashe a man of ill luck, and Nodren does not speak for himself initially.
- Sanford
Sanford is mentioned as Ashe's first partner at Outpost Gog, but his fate is unknown after the outpost's destruction.
Key passages
“He might have said yes, but that didn’t mean, Ross discovered, that he was to be shipped off at once to early Britain. Ashe’s “tomorrow” proved to be several days later.”
Ross learns that his agreement to participate does not lead to immediate departure; instead, several days pass before they travel.
Highlights the delay and preparation before the time jump.
“The transition itself was a fairly simple, though disturbing, process. One walked a short corridor and stood for an instant on a plate while the light centered there curled about in a solid core, shutting one off from floor and wall.”
The time travel process involves walking a corridor and standing on a plate where light envelops them, causing a brief but unsettling sensation.
Describes the mechanics and physical experience of time travel.
“Or we have made contact with the Reds in the wrong way!”
Ashe suggests that the destruction of the outpost may be due to an unintended encounter with enemy agents.
Reveals the suspicion of enemy involvement in the outpost's destruction.