Barrington Bayley SF Gateway Omnibus: The Soul of the Robot, The Knights of the Limits, The Fall of Chronopolis

They then turned to bow, less deferentially, to the second occupant of the room, who hovered like a shadow in the corner. In contrast to His Majesty, Arch-Cardinal Reamoir wore the most sumptuous of ecclesiastical garments. His floor-length cope was trimmed with purple fur and boasted orphreys richly patterned in gold and variously dyed tussore silk. Spun gold figured, too, in the coif which covered his head and which was decorated with the symbols of the Church.

The aloof prelate accepted their bow with a casual blessing.

‘And what is this bad news I have been warned to expect?’ the emperor inquired in a dry voice.

Briefly and concisely, Mayar gave him the facts. The old man’s face sagged. At the same time, a look of puzzlement crossed his features.

Mayar knew that look. It happened every time someone was told of events or things that had been removed from the stream of time. Automatically one tried to remember what had gone, however much one knew that it was impossible.

With the emperor, puzzlement was soon replaced by muted rage at the realisation that an ungodly enemy had succeeded in altering even his memories. ‘This is bad,’ he said shakily. ‘This is very bad.’

Arch-Cardinal Reamoir moved forward silently. A hand stole from beneath his cope and squeezed the emperor’s shoulder comfortingly. Philipium reached up and patted the hand.

‘Your Majesty will recall,’ Mayar continued, ‘that this is the second such attack. The first was not entirely successful, for it only modified the history of the coastal port of Marsel, and that not seriously. This, however, is an unmitigated disaster. We must presume that the enemy has now perfected his new weapon.’

‘Yes! The time-distorter!’ The emperor’s face clearly showed his distress. ‘Why does the Hegemony have such a device and we do not have it?’ His right arm trembled more markedly, as it usually did under stress. And indeed, the enemy’s possession of the time-distorter was frightening. When the Historical Office decided to change some aspect of history, months or years of preparation were needed to select some key event or combination of events whose alteration would produce the desired result. A big operation was usually required, entailing a staff of thousands to carry it out.

Yet apparently the distorter could mutate history simply by focusing some sort of energy that acted on the underlying temporal substratum. The threat to the empire was real and disturbing.

‘God is testing us,’ murmured Arch-Cardinal Reamoir smoothly.

‘As always, you know best, old friend.’ The emperor seemed to draw courage from anything Reamoir said. God forgive him for the thought, but Mayar simply could not see the arch-cardinal’s influence as a healthy one.

‘These indignities will cease once my invincible armada sets forth,’ the emperor said, glancing up at Reamoir. ‘The Hegemony will be part of the empire. The distorter will be ours.’

‘Your Majesty,’ Mayar said diffidently, ‘a weapon as effective as the time-distorter must seriously be taken into account. There is very little defence against it, once its carrier ship has broken through into historical territory. I would go so far as to say that it is capable of destroying the empire itself.’

‘Archivist Mayar!’ Reamoir thundered, his face suddenly blazing. ‘Take care what you say!’

‘I said only that it is capable of destroying the empire,’ Mayar replied defensively. ‘I did not say that such an event could come about.’ And if he did openly say it, he would be in serious trouble. The Two Things That God Will Not Do were as important a part of religious dogma as the Three Revelations of San Hevatar. The Two Things That God Will Not Do were that, once having given it, He would not take away the secret of time-travel from mankind; and that He would not allow the Chronotic Empire ever to perish.

It was dangerous to argue with the head of the Church. But Mayar, fearful of the calamity he saw hovering over them all, pressed on.

‘What I say, Your Majesty, Your Eminence, is this: God has promised that the empire will not fall or be removed, but He has not promised that it will not meet with misfortune or be defeated in war. As Your Eminence will tell us –’ he bowed his head again towards the arch-cardinal – ‘the doctrine of free will means that even the mission of the Church may fail. God has left such matters in our hands, and we are fallible.’

He licked his lips and continued hurriedly. ‘As chief archivist I am familiar with the changes of time. I know that their consequences can be dismaying and unexpected, and that precautions taken against them can prove to be futile. I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that the archives perform a function fundamental to the integrity of the empire. And I fear the distorter. I ask myself what degree of change the archives can accommodate. I believe they will break down altogether under the impact of the weapon.’