TW01 The Ivanhoe Gambit NEW Read Online Free PDF Page A

Richard dying at Chaluz, John becoming king, etc. That cannot be changed, it already happened. The moment Irving takes an action that is significantly contrary to our history to create a paradox, he splits the timestream and creates a parallel timeline. And that means we've lost. If I clock back at a point beyond which he has done that, I'll only wind up splitting it again, creating yet another parallel timeline, which will only make things worse. I have only one course of action open to me and that is to proceed in a linear fashion through this mission. The first team failed. At the point I became aware of that, I sent ahead for another team. When that team failed, I put in a call for yet another team and you men arrived. Should you fail, I will try to get yet another team,
providing that Irving has not yet split the timeline.
    "You see, gentlemen, in a way it's very much like playing Russian roulette. All it takes is for that one possibility to arise in which I am not sent another team and Irving will have won. I have absolutely no idea what action he may take that would result in a change significant enough to create a parallel timeline. Nor do I know
when
he will take that action, when he will have the opportunity. It might even be happening right this very moment, in which case this is all a pointless exercise. In that event, I haven't the faintest idea what we would do. I don't even want to think about it."
    He paused again, observing the men. They were grimly silent, all save Delaney, who groaned and put his head in his hands.
    "There is, of course, another possibility," said the referee. "Once Irving splits the timeline, it is theoretically possible to clock back to a point
before
that split occurs and attempt to prevent it from occurring. However, that raises some very unpleasant possibilities. Split timelines must eventually rejoin.
    The moment Irving succeeds in creating the split, its effects show up in the future. It isn't possible to prevent the future from happening, but it is possible to warp our history and hurt a great many people. A great many. The moment the split occurs, from the standpoint of the future, an entire separate timeline already exists, incorporating God only knows how many lives. To go back and prevent it means to destroy everyone within that separate timeline. That would be nothing less than the most massive genocide in the history of the human race," said the referee, "and there's no telling how that would affect the future. Allow me to illustrate with yet another hypothetical situation. Suppose I send for another team, unaware that by that time, Irving has
already
created the split. Suppose I am sent a team. It could happen. The people who clock back could very well be coming from a future already affected by the split, for better or for worse. If I were then to attempt to eradicate the parallel timeline by preventing the split in the first place, a.—I would be risking causing a split myself and, b.—the people coming from a future affected by that split might never even have existed had not the split occurred. I would then be threatening
their
history, not to say their very existence. Under such circumstances, I expect that they would do their level best to kill me. Perhaps those would even be their orders, regardless of the problems created by the split. They would want to preserve
their
status quo, no matter how chaotic it might be."
    "Christ," whispered Hooker.
    "Scary, isn't it?" said the referee.
    "How are we supposed to stop it?" Hooker said.
    '' I thought that was obvious,'' the ref said.
    "We're a hit squad, son," Delaney told Hooker. "We're supposed to try and kill this Irving person."
    "The rather archaic phrase is 'terminate with extreme prejudice,' " said the referee. "Should you succeed in doing that,
I
will then become Richard the First and act accordingly, as per our history." He grimaced. "I would prefer not to have to die in France in another five years, but I have no