THE TIME WARS
A p r i l 1 . 2 4 2 5 :
D r . W o l f g a n g M e n s i n g e r i n v e n t s t h e
chronoplate at the age of 115, discovering time
travel. Later he would construct a small-scale
working prototype for use in laboratory
experiments specially designed to avoid any
possible creation of a temporal paradox. He is
hailed as the "Father of Temporal Physics."
J u l y 1 4 . 2 4 3 0 :
M e n s i n g e r p u b l i s h e s " T h e r e i s N o F u ture," in
which he redefines relativity, proving that there
is no such thing as the future. but an infinite
number of potential future scenarios which are
absolute relative only to their present. He also
announces the discovery of "non-specific time"
or temporal limbo, later known as "the dead
zone "
O c t o b e r 2 1 . 2 4 4 0 :
W o l f g a n g M e n s i n g e r d i e s . H i s s o n , Albrecht.
perfects the chronoplate and carries on the work.
but loses control of the discovery to political
interests.
J u n e 1 5. 24 6 0 :
F o r ma t io n o f t h e i n te r na t io n al Com m i t tee for
Tempo ral I ntel lig ence, w ith Albrecht Mensinger
as director. Specially trained and conditioned
"agents" of the committee begin to travel back
through time in order to conduct research and
field test the chronoplate apparatus. Many become
lost in transition, trapped in the limbo of
nonspecific time known as "the dead zone." Those
who return from successful temporal voyages often
bring back startling information necessitating the
revision of historical records.
March 22. 2461:
The Consorti Affair—Cardinal Lodovico Consorti is
excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church
for proposing that agents travel back through time
to obtain empirical evidence that Christ arose
following His crucifixion. The Consorti Affair
sparks extensive international negotiations amidst
a volatile climate of public opinion concerning
the proper uses for the new technology. Temporal
excursions are severely curtailed. Concurrently,
espionage operatives of several nations
infiltrate the Committee for Temporal
Intelligence.
May 1, 2461:
Dr. Albrecht Mensinger appears before a special
international conference in Geneva, composed of
political leaders and members of the scientific
community. He attempts to alleviate fears about
the possible misuses of time travel. He further
refuses to cooperate with any attempts at
militarizing his father's discovery.
February 3, 2485:
The research facilities of the Committee for
Temporal Intelligence are seized by troops of the
TransAtlantic Treaty Organization.
January 25, 2492:
The Council of Nations meets in Buenos Aires,
capital of
the United Socialist States of South
America, to discuss increasing international
tensions and economic instability. A proposal
for "an end to war in our time" is put forth by
the chairman of the Nippon Cong l o m e r a t e
E m p i r e . D r . A l b r e c h t Mensinger, appearing
before the
body as nominal director of the
Committee for Temporal Intelligence, argues
passionately against using temporal technology to
resolve international conflicts, but cannot
present proof that the past can be affected by
temporal voyagers. Prevailing scientific testimony
reinforces the conventional wisdom that the past is
an immutable absolute.
December 24, 2492 :
Formation of the Referee Corps. brought into
being by the Council of Nations as an
extranational arbitrating hotly with sole control
over temporal technology and authority to stage
temporal conflicts as "limited warfare" to
resolve international disputes.
April 21, 2493:
On the recommendation of the Referee Corps, a
subordinate body named the Observer Corps is
formed, taking over most of the functions of the
Committee for Temporal Intelligence, which is
redesignated as the Temporal Intelligence Agency.
Under the aegis of the Council of Nations and the
Referee Corps, the TIA absorbs the intelligence
agencies of the world's governments and is made
solely answerable to the Referee Corps. Dr.
Mensinger resigns his post to found the Temporal
Preservation League, a group dedicated to the
abolition of temporal conflict.
June, 2497 - March, 2502: Referee Corps presides over initial temporal
confrontation campaigns. accepting "grievances"
from disputing nations, selecting historical
conflicts of the past as "staging grounds" and
supervising the infiltration of modern troops
into the so-called "cannon fodder" ranks of
ancient warring armies. Initial numbers of
temporal combatants are kept small, with
infiltration facilitated by cosmetic surgery and
implant conditioning of soldiers. The results are
calculated based upon successful return rate and
a complicated "point spread." Soldiers are
monitored via cerebral imp l a n t s , e n a b l i n g
S e a r c h & R e t r i e v e teams to follow their
movements and monitor mortality rate. The media
dubs temporal conflicts the "Time Wars."
2 5 0 0 - 2 5 1 0 :
E x t r e m e l y r a p i d g r o w t h o f m a s s i v e s u p port
industry catering to the exacting art and science
of temporal conflict. Rapid improvements in
international economi c c l i m a t e f o l l o w s , w i t h
s i g n i f i c a n t growth in productivity and rapid
decline in unemployment and inflation rate.
There is a gradual escalation of the Time War s
with the m ajor ity of the world's armed services
converting to temporal duty status.
Growth of the Temporal Preservation League as a
peace movement with an intensive lobby effort and
mass demons t r a t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e T i m e W a r s .
Mensinger cautions against an imbalance in
temporal continuity due to the increasing
activity of the Time Wars.
September 2. 2514:
Mensinger publishes his "Theories of Temporal
Relativity," incorporating his solution to the
Grandfather Paradox and calling once again for a
cease-fire in the Time Wars. The result is an
upheaval in the scientific community and a
hastily reconvened Council of Nations to discuss
his findings, leading to the Temporal Strategic
Arms Limitations Talks of 2515.
March 15. 2515:
T-SALT held in New York City Mensinger appears
before t h e r e p r e s e n tatives at the sessions and
petitions for an end to the Time Wars. A cease
fire resolution is framed, but tabled due to
lack of agreement among the members of the
Council of Nations. Mensinger leaves the T-SALT
a broken man.
November 18, 2516:
Dr. Albrecht Mensinger experiences total nervous
collapse shortly after being awarded the Benford
Prize.
December 25, 2516:
Dr. Albrecht Mensinger commits suicide. Violent
demonstrations by memb e rs of th e Te m po r a l
P r e se r va t io n League.
Janua ry 1 . 25 17:
Milit ant m embe rs of the T emp oral Preservation
League hand together to form the Timekeepers, a
terrorist offshoot of the League, dedicated to
the complete destruction of the war machine. They
announce their presence to the world by
assassinating three members of the Referee Corps
and bombing the Council of Nations meeting in
Buenos Aires, killing several heads of state and
injuring many others.
September 17, 2613:
Formation of the First Division of the U.S. Army
Temporal Corps as a crack commando unit
following the successf u l c o m p l e t i o n o f a
" t e m p o r a l a d justment" involving the first
serious threat of a timestream split. The First
Division, assigned exclusively to deal with
threats to temporal continuity, is d e s i g n a t e d a s
" t h e T i m e C o m m a n d o s . ”
October 10. 2615:
T e m p o r a l p h y s i c i s t D r . R o b e r t D a r k n e s s
disappears without a trace shortly after turning
over to the army his new invention. the "war p
grena de," a c ombi n ation time machine and
nuclear device. E s t a b l i s h i n g a s e c r e t
r e s e a r c h i n stallation somewhere off Earth,
Darkness experiments with temporal translocation
based on the transmutation principle. He
experiments upon himself a n d s u c c e e d s i n
t r a n s l a t i n g h i s o w n body into tachyons. but an
error in his c a l c u l a t i o n s c a u s e s a n
i r r e v e r s i b l e change in his sub-atomic structure,
rendering it unstable. Darkness becomes "the man
who is faster than light."
November 3, 2620:
The chronoplate is superceded by the t e m p o r a l
t r a n s p o n d e r . D u b b e d t h e "warp disc." the
temporal transponder was developed from work
begun by Dr. Darkness and it drew on power
tapped by Einstein-Rosen Generators (develo p e d
b y B e l l L a b o r a t o r i e s i n 2 5 4 5 ) bridging to
neutron stars.
March 15, 2625:
The Temporal Crisis: The discovery of an alternate
universe following an unsucce ssfu l invas ion by
troop s of the S p e c i a l O p e r a t i o n s G r o u p .
c o u n t e r parts of the Time Commanders. Whether as
a result of chronophysical instability c a u s e d b y
c l o c k i n g t r e m e n d o u s amounts of energy through
Einstein-Rosen Bridges or the cumulative effect
of temporal disruptions, an alternate uni vers e
comes into con gru ence w ith our own, causing an
instability in the timeflow of both universes
and resulting in a "confluence effect," wherein
the time stre ams o f both u nive rses ripple a n d
o c c a s i o n a l l y i n t e r s e c t , c r e a t i n g "confluence
points" where a crossover from one universe to
another becomes possible.
M a s s i v e a m o u n t s o f e n e r g y c l o c k e d through
Einstein-Rosen Bridges has resulted in
unintentional "warp bombardment" of the alternate
universe, causing untold destruction. The Time
Wars escalate into a temporal war between two
universes.