Traveller Manifesto
87. New York - Today

New York – Today.

Their mood was unusually sombre. Professor Taylor now seemed less jovial, as if the harsh realities of global politics had broken something deep inside of him.

“You all know how I prefer for us to meet than on-line,” Professor Taylor began. “I fear any potential for a security breach. I’ve deliberately selected a random hotel boardroom and had each of us scanned by one of Helguard’s security experts to remove the possibility of hackers or eavesdropping by any number of intelligence agencies.”

“Ha! Is it that serious?” remarked Russia’s Professor Yumashev, his tone disbelieving. “I am used to the thought of being monitored when I am in the West, but is it truly that bad?”

“You will see why in a moment,” replied Professor Taylor without any hint of a smile. “First of all, I must announce that the documented rumours and overwhelming popular belief expressed via the various Social Media that the Saxon Traveller, Michael Hunter, was tracked and hunted by especially equipped members of British and American Special Forces is indeed true.”

There were gasps of disgust and disbelief, though the American academics remained quiet and watchful. Ah, thought Professor Alexander, they have already heard.

“I have documented proof that three soldiers, equipped with new weaponry and armoured military exoskeletons, were sent into the past to track Hunter down. They were able to use drones to detect a chip with which Hunter had been implanted.” He paused, his face grimly victorious. “I warned of this, didn’t I? The use of the chips for reasons other than humanitarian support? It seems only one of the soldiers returned, allegedly with a nasty dog bite.”

There was a barrage of questions, but Professor Taylor held up his hands for silence. “I know no more,” he added. “Whether Hunter, Tatae and Genovefa are dead, or not. According to the returned soldier they were in the process of tracking the fleeing family, but he had been wounded and was required to return to the Area of Convergence near Giolgrave.”

“So the military accessed the Transporter illegally to perpetuate such activities!” confirmed Professor Alexander.

“Yes!” replied Professor Taylor loudly. “But it’s not all bad news. You can link this event to the timely resignations that have taken place in the UK, but not in the USA. Those resignations, and I assure you they will continue, are linked to a much bolder indiscretion.”

“Is this tied to your mission in the UN Inspection Team to Israel?” asked Harvard’s Professor Goldman indignantly. “If anything could be construed to be anti-American and anti-Semitic it was that foolish act. I object to such rash judgement by any member of this august board, especially since it had zero results!”

“Did it now?” replied Professor Taylor, his tone suddenly icy. “Though the results have not been publicised, I would suggest that you refrain from judgement until I conclude my report. But, at this time, you’ll be pleased to note that on this occasion it will not be me who will address you. Another would be best to present their replaceings and more informed point of view. May I present to you Professor Rita DeMille of the American Jewish University.”

The door at the rear of the conference room opened and a blonde, curly haired, stout woman entered. She walked shyly to the podium to stand by Professor Taylor. As she did so she nodded to a few of the quorum in familiar acquaintance.

“Professor DeMille was a witness to the events that see us gathered today,” concluded Professor Taylor. “But enough from me, I ask Professor DeMille that she summarise the events in Israel.”

Professor DeMille then described the actions of Professor Cowen in his organisation of the mission to research the history of Israel and Jerusalem through the use of four Transporters. She confirmed the participation of members of the Israeli and US military, who oversaw the operational aspects of Israel Traveller. The battle in Roman Judaea and the patrols in Israel of the era known as the reign of King David were also described. She then confirmed the organisation of the UN investigative mission based on the detection of radiation emitted by Transporters and the cavitation earthquakes that resulted.

“So, this cavitation induced quake, you suspect this was caused by the Transporters?” asked Professor Yumashev. He sounded incredulous, a scepticism shared by most of those in attendance.

“The owners of the Transporters believe so,” replied Professor DeMille. “While it is not yet possible for Professor Alan Nguyen to receive the public accolades he deserves for the apparent confirmation of his theory, most physicists are beginning to agree that his reasoning is sound. Colonel Tony Osborne believes that the only thing that stopped the cavitation was the destruction of the rogue Transporter by Israeli fighter jets assigned to the unlikely event.”

“That bad?” asked Professor Goldman, who looked slightly embarrassed and shocked.

“That bad,” nodded Professor Taylor. “I honestly thought we were going to die. Oh my God, the quake was terrible, but the jet fighters… The scream they make was worse than the bombs. By the time we rushed to the remains of the building which held the Transporter, it was destroyed.” His breath caught. “There were dead people everywhere, both Israeli and American service personnel.”

“But was there even proof that Transporters were used?” asked Professor O’Malley. She was a known opponent to Professor Taylor and his fact-replaceing mission to Israel.

“I can attest that the Transporters were used,” confirmed Professor DeMille. “I witnessed when Major Anderson of the Saxon Travellers was one of the first to be Transported to Palestine of circa 1000AD. I also witnessed Professor Cowen’s Transportation. He was determined to be part of the exploratory team at the final destination, which was Palestine / Judaea of 2000BC.”

“The Bronze Age! Oh, despite his arrogance, the man had courage. What must he have seen?” exclaimed Professor Febvre quietly.

“And, where is Professor Cowen now?” asked Professor Yumashev with a frown.

Professor DeMille shook her head sadly. “We don’t know. Some of the personnel involved in the evacuation of the bases were discovered in the main hanger. They had been killed, either by the cavitation or the fighter attack. One of them was the on-site commander of the Project, Colonel Sergey Lieberman. It was a tragedy. He was an excellent man and a superb officer.” She paused and shook her head sadly. “There was no sign of Professor Cowen.”

“But what of Professor Cowen’s replaceings? Did he manage to send any raw data?” pressed Professor Goldman.

Professor DeMille looked across in indignation. “For all of his faults, Professor Cowen was a brave man,” she replied. “He may be dead, or trapped in Roman Judaea, which was his last logged location before the cavitation. Also, the famous Traveller, Major Anderson, has not been accounted for, nor has any other member of the Base Delta team. It was rumoured that he and his team might be still in 2000BC. Does not the human cost mean more than data?”

Professor Goldman dipped his head in apology. “You’re right. Professor Cowen was my colleague. I am deeply sorry for his loss. I only hope his courage and sacrifice was not in vain.”

Professor DeMille sighed. “No, it wasn’t. As the clandestine recipient of Professor Cowen’s raw data, I have copies of all of his images, footage, documents and replaceings. Naturally, I had military goons confiscate my computers and backup drives while their IT teams scoured my on-line backup systems, but I would have been insane not to keep a complete duplicate hidden. I was threatened, of course. If the data ever sees the light of day, it would mean prison for me, bla bla bla and so on.”

“And?” continued Professor Goldman. He was almost breathless in anticipation.

“As with all data from Traveller projects, the data, and analysis by Professor DeMille, has been officially supplied in its entirety to Historical Research International,” replied Professor Taylor with a self-satisfied smile. “Professor DeMille has already commenced with a series of papers that will be co-authored by Professor Cowen. You will have access to the data within the next weeks when those papers are finalised. Naturally, we must, at the moment, stress the sensitive nature of the replaceings. If any one of us speaks too loudly, we might replace how much the American and Israeli Governments value their control of any Israel Traveller data.”

“But what were the final conclusions?” asked Professor Alexander. She felt confused. “This entire project was controversial, especially once preliminary documents were released by WikiLeaks. Professor Taylor, you described your theory that the ultimate rationale was to justify and politicise historical data to prove a certain political viewpoint, of the Jews’ divine right to rule the land which was been defined as the land promised by God himself. So, what are the conclusions?”

Professor DeMille sighed. “Am I being a little naïve in suggesting that nobody should politicise the truth? We know governments and various agendas engage in the adaption of the truth in history as a means of control. I mean, we all know the importance of objectivity in history, in theory. That’s what makes reading history as delivered to school children so depressing, how history in nations such as the Great Britain, the United States, Japan, and especially Israel is so skewed it is almost Orwellian in its blatant erasure of reality. After all, history is the belief of us in the present time about the past, right? What makes the Traveller missions so significant is that we, as historians, aren’t only giving our interpretations of documents and viewpoints from past millennia, we can actually be there! We can see the way it is! This doesn’t always work with the accepted viewpoint of the nations whose history we are delving into.” She sighed. “Though Professor Cowen and his team of Travellers didn’t replace an actual King David, there is nothing to say that he didn’t exist in a different time after circa 1000BC. There’s nothing to say he did either. While we have the raw data from that time, we might need to consider what this all means. I have the suspicion that despite the tragic quakes, the eventual replaceings and Professor Cowen’s conclusions after the patrol in circa 1000BC might have been enough for the project to be viewed as hostile to the current historical and political narrative. It might have been shut down. Complete eradication of the project might have been preferred by certain factions within the Israeli and US Governments who were in control of Israeli Traveller.”

“But it’s one thing to withhold data, and another to silence the team, surely?” exclaimed Professor Goldman in disbelief.

“I can’t say what happened,” replied Professor DeMille quietly. “This is the part where I don’t know what to think. Sometimes it seems too convenient that the team from Camp Delta in circa 2000BC didn’t return, that many from Camp Gamma of circa 1000BC died in the hanger that day. With Professor Cowen unaccounted for and the data removed from my possession, there would be none to pursue what the replaceings of the King David era really meant.”

There was a stunned silence. What did it mean if too many of those involved had been removed from the equation, either killed or stranded by accident or design? Did that not mean that each member of the quorum of Historical Research International now stood on shaky ground?

“Look, we know this can be risky, especially if our replaceings go against the current Zionist agenda,” continued Professor DeMille. “I’m a Jew, but I’m not a Zionist. Jerusalem is the heart of all of this and is a tinderbox. It has been since the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. Yet, when we examine the history of the land and of that ancient City, we know that one location will always be controversial, that both Muslims and Jews still have unimpeachable historical claims. The City has been under the leadership of Christians and Muslims for longer than it was ever under rule of Jews and has been settled by Islamic settlers, scholars, and pilgrims who were Arabs, Turks, Indians, Sudanese, Iranians, Iraqis and Maghrebis as well as Christian Armenians, Russians, Serbs and Georgians. American and British Christians now have their enclaves in this ancient City and through Israel Traveller it was hoped to justify Jewish ‘ownership’ through the proof that King David actually existed. Not only is such an effort short-sighted, it is a gross oversimplification of the real history. Professor Cowen soon realised this. He became captivated by the idea of Travelling back to 1000BC and thought he could manage the project after he had summarised the data. He thought everyone would become as excited about the real history of the area many have called Judaea, Palestine or the Land of Israel once the replaceings were made public.”

“So, what do you think happened?” asked Professor Alexander softly.

Professor DeMille sighed again. She seemed reluctant to comment. “I don’t know what has happened to many of those brave souls who journeyed to the past. I hope Professor Cowen is well, that he will be found safe and sound, but I fear that’s not going to be the case. Through accident or design, many were killed or stranded and he’s one of them. I fear he may never return.”

There was a moment of stunned silence. Was this a potential fate for any who risked Travelling into the past?

“What a tragedy! Professor Cowen was a great historian who might have sacrificed his life for new knowledge,” exclaimed Professor Goldman sadly. “He was a true hero.”

“Here! Here!” cheered Professor Taylor. As was custom, the academics slapped the table-top in applause.

When the noise subsided, Professor Alexander raised her voice, “But despite the disastrous outcomes for those poor people involved, this proves our policies and management has, to date, been correct. If the technical issues were managed by Helguard and Woomera, the cavitation, and indeed any uncertainty as to the return of all Travellers, might have been avoided.” She looked across to her colleagues, each eager to place their stamp onto the study of History as the greatest game in town. “What does that mean for Traveller missions in the future?” she asked, reluctantly mindful of the profitability of their individual roles.

“My dear Lady Deborah, do you think the data supplied by my mission to Constantinople, Professor Febvre’s visit to Madagascar, and the data from Professor Cowen’s visit to Mississippi is not enough?” exclaimed Professor Taylor in mock frustration. “Then wait till you see the Israel project data. Yes, I am facetious. I believe the Traveller missions will continue. Now that we understand how more than one Transporter can be used in one project, it means that we can plan missions to not only a thousand years into the past, but also two, three, or even four thousand years! We have the ability to learn from the past, to replace lost knowledge in natural medicines and now we can rescue and restore lost species as demonstrated in Madagascar. While missions are currently being finalised for Japan and Cuba, we have the dominating nations of the USA, Great Britain, China and Russia all cowed by exposure of their manipulations behind the scenes.”

“Careful!” growled Yumashev, plainly stung by accusations of Russia’s prior complicity.

Professor Taylor threw his arms wide as he replied, “We should expect this! The behind the scenes perfidy, the jostling to be the first amongst equals. But now we stand in a stronger position than ever. Now, some of the major political players have been silenced and the purely military format seen wanting, for the moment at least. Let us not forget the fact that there are mountains of footage of the great Temple in Jerusalem in its glory. We know the Israeli and US Governments will release the footage when they see fit, so I propose that we compile it and release it for them. Yes, the great Temple itself! To see the edifice and the people at worship will be the greatest event for the Jewish people in generations.”

“We have this?” gasped Professor O’Malley.

“Yes we do,” confirmed Professor DeMille. “We must view and compile this valuable footage as a matter of priority. I agree with our good Professor Taylor. This will be a momentous event for any Jew.”

“Good God!” exclaimed Professor Goldman. “The Temple!”

“We have much more!” exclaimed Professor Taylor. “I propose that we do not stop here. Let us learn from our errors! I propose we plan missions to Egypt of circa 2000BC, Professor Abbas, especially in relation to Nubia. And what of a mission to Greece of circa 1000BC? There’s so much that can be done in Asia, with the Khmer civilisation in what is now Cambodia and Thailand, not to mention the projects outlined by France, Germany, and just about every nation on the globe. I have been in discussion with scholars from India and Pakistan in relation to a mission to the ancient peoples of Mohenjo Daro, the only civilisation that might have existed without a dependence on war. What might can be learned from such a people?” He then paused and shook his head. “Forgive me. Even after everything that has happened, I’m still transfixed by the knowledge that can be revealed by any Traveller mission that is managed effectively. We’ll be very busy, though I regretfully announce that I will no longer be a Traveller. The glory of the Byzantine Empire was enough.”

There was a buzz of interest. More missions would mean opportunities for each of them to become a Traveller, to produce even more dazzling results. As they pondered more celebrated discoveries, they momentarily overlooked the fate brought about by Professor Cowen’s hubris.

“We have one more item of business,” proclaimed Professor Taylor. “With the apparent vacancy left by our brave comrade Professor Cowen, in order for us to continue as an active board we need to fill the position left in the quorum.”

“Oh really!” exclaimed Professor O’Malley indignantly. “He may yet return.”

Professor Taylor did his best to ignore her. “He may, but we have had enough time to feel that is unlikely. While we all hope for his long life and happiness, in the interim I propose Professor DeMille be included in the quorum for Historical Research International. She has already proved herself as a valuable ally and, like Professor Cowen, is a specialist on Middle Eastern language and history.

There was a rumble of muted discussion, then was a unanimous vote of affirmation.

As the meeting was concluded, Professor Alexander was struck with the question most seemed to have overlooked.

What had become of Michael Hunter?