‘There will be two parts to the assignment. The first part is pre-war. The city of Troy existed for a good long time before the war and for a good long time afterwards. So the first visit is the control visit. We will familiarise ourselves with the city – getting to know it well will enable us to evaluate the impact of the war. That done, we return ten years later, to witness the end of the Trojan War.
‘The Pathfinders will establish the dates. Dr Peterson will oversee this part of the mission. We’ll be looking at the period between 1250 and 1180 BC. All co-ordinates will be worked out by the IT section and laid in by Chief Farrell. Once we have the dates sorted, we’ll make a quick pre-visit to select locations for the pods. That team will consist of me, Chief Farrell, and Major Guthrie. We may be there overnight while we suss things out, but it’s unlikely.
‘There will be two sites, designated, with startling originality, A and B. Site A is to be inside or as near to the upper citadel as is deemed practical and Site B will be in the lower town. Miss Van Owen will supervise Site A and Miss Schiller will supervise Site B.
‘The Rule of Threes, people. Three pods on each site containing three people who will each spend three weeks on site before returning for one week’s R & R. There will be no more than nine people on any one site, of whom at least three will be security.
‘Pods Four, Six, and Seven will be located at Site A and Three, Five and Eight at Site B. One and Two will operate as shuttles, ferrying people and supplies under cover of darkness. Our transport pod, TB2, will not be used on this assignment.
‘Our second visit will enable us to record the end of the war and assess the impact on the city.’
I paused. Everyone stopped writing or typing and looked at me.
I grinned. ‘Yes, and to see the Trojan Horse, of course.’
They heaved a sigh of relief and we continued.
‘On to individual responsibilities – I’ve tried to accommodate people’s preferences and specialities as much as possible, but, as usual, there’s a lot to do and not many to do it.
‘Major Guthrie. You and your team will be responsible for mapping and surveying the city. I want a detailed street-plan. The lower town has been lost over time and the upper town had its top sliced off later to accommodate the new Temple of Athena, so this will be important. Please can you try to get most of it done on the first visit. It’s probably not a good idea to be seen surveying a city while there’s a war on.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘This is all in addition to preventing historians from damaging themselves, each other and/or the timeline?’
‘Of course. Are you anticipating any difficulties?’
‘Surveying the city – no. Preventing damage to our current crop of historians – yes.’
‘You’ll cope,’ I said, heartlessly. ‘You always do.’
He sighed. ‘I can feel the traditional pre-assignment depression settling around me.’
‘Look on the bright side, Ian,’ said Leon. ‘If they do manage to kill each other off then we can all come home early.’
He brightened. ‘True.’
I swept scathingly on.
‘Mr Clerk, I’d like you to be responsible for the study of religion and ritual. This should include the pantheon of gods, and rituals pertaining to births, death, and marriage. All the usual stuff. Select your own team. You’ll be based at Site A. Any questions?’
He shook his head, still scribbling away.
‘Culture – Miss Prentiss. I’d like you to take this on board, please. Language and writing, if any, legends, stories, the usual. Please include entertainment – public and private. Art, pottery, ceramics, statues. You know the sort of thing. You’ll be at Site A with Mr Clerk. I imagine there will be some overlap. Any questions?’
‘How many can I draft into my team?’
‘Not more than three. All team leaders – be aware you can mix and match. Borrow each other’s people by all means, but don’t forget to give them back. There aren’t enough of us to work on all these projects simultaneously, so work out a schedule. No one team has priority and the work does not have to be completed in any particular order. We can have up to nine months on site, which should be more than enough. Understood?’-
You have to tell historians these things; otherwise there would be more conflict inside the walls of Troy than outside.
‘OK, the next one’s the biggie. Dr Peterson and Doctor Black, who has returned from Thirsk to be with us on this assignment, will head this one. Social Structure. Tim, I want medicine and health, including diet. Daily life, family structure, housing, clothing, all that sort of thing. Please also look at ethnicity and gender roles.