Late last night I received the following note from my inside informant at the Ark of Veridicus. I don't know what to even believe any more. Could these people be real?
– JRT
— CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT OBTAINED —
JRT -
I was able to obtain the attached document today. I'm afraid it's worse than we thought. These people actually think they can time travel, but can't even count. If true, it could be devastating to everything we think we know.
I'm not sure if you should add this to your book or simply shred it. Your call.
I'll bring more info to you if possible, but it might be dangerous. One way or another, I'm going to find out what they are really doing down there in those labs. Company line is that we are a cold storage company, but evidence is showing there is more going on here than the public knows. What is really going on at the Ark?
I will continue to uncover the truth, my friend.
– MH
ARK OF VERIDICUS
Division of Temporal Operations
| Title | Statement of Temporal Displacement Protocols |
|---|---|
| Friendly Title | The Ten Commandments of Time Travel |
| Author | Dr. Thomas Allen Harper |
| Description | This document defines the scope, intent, and operational boundaries governing mission-focused temporal travel conducted by the Division of Temporal Operations at the Ark of Veridicus. Adherence is required. |
| Document ID | AOV-TAH-924 |
| Revision | 103.5, January 1, 2026 |
| Status |
|
WARNING: You are required to acknowledge and sign this document prior to temporal travel. By doing so, you agree to adhere to all behaviors and restrictions stated herein. No exceptions. Violations may result in disciplinary action, termination of temporal privileges, or permanent stranding.
DISCLAIMER: The Ark of Veridicus assumes no liability for injury, loss, psychological harm, legal exposure, or permanent displacement arising from temporal operations conducted in accordance with this document.
Mission First
The mission supersedes comfort, curiosity, and personal interest.
Each mission carries its own objectives to be determined prior to traveling. Consult all mission-specific documentation defining current parameters, allowances, and restrictions. This additional document should describe the mission and allowances, such as leisure time.
Missions must be completed in the allotted time because travel windows are finite, and travel end times are unstable.
Actions outside the mission statement are forbidden.
Dress the Part
Travelers shall wear clothing appropriate to the destination era.
This includes:
Footwear: It’s better to be boring than to wear your comfortable Skechers from last year. Do your research. When were the shoes you’re wearing invented? Shoes from 1992 do not belong in 1983, for example.
Clothing: Keep to styles that are more timeless. Styles may be flexible. To be safe, try wearing items that were popular before your target era and are already out of style.
Grooming: Beards go in and out of style, as does hair length. Your goal is to be as boring as possible.
Accessories: Watch for anachronistic accessories. Better to leave things at home than to bring attention to yourself. This could include simple items such as books, pens, glasses, etc.
Electronics: All electronics should be appropriate for the target era. In other words, a Walkman would be ok in 1983, but a smartphone would not.
Carry Proper Currency
Travelers shall carry legal tender from the target time period. If legal tender cannot be obtained before traveling, carry era-appropriate items that can be bartered or sold during the target period. All items must be approved.
Thou Shalt Not Kill
The deliberate taking of a life is forbidden under all circumstances. The most commonly proposed violation involves the assassination of historically significant individuals. Such actions are impossible and unnecessary. History records no such intervention. Do not attempt it.
Leave on Time
You must return within seven days of insertion. Travel windows beyond this period are unstable. Failure to report to the portal at the designated time may result in permanent stranding. If a member of your team is missing at departure, be kind. Leave behind any supplies, currency, or resources for the missing team member to use until a rescue attempt can be made. Rescue attempts should be made one week from the designated departure time using the same exact portal placement.
Obey Local Law
Travelers shall respect and obey all laws of the target era. Avoidance of legal attention is mandatory. Even though you cannot change the past, you can still get into trouble. If you find yourself in jail because of criminal activity or for drawing attention to yourself as a traveler, either on purpose or accidentally, you may end up permanently stranded.
Remain Unremarkable
The traveler’s highest duty is invisibility. Blend in. Be forgettable. Be boring.
No Anachronisms
Do not bring items to the past that do not belong, unless they are mission-critical. Mission-critical items must be kept secret at all costs. No cell phones or other electronics should be taken into the past unless they are vital to the mission. This includes smart watches. Do not share knowledge of the future. This includes stock tips, fads, political futures, and even simple things like dance crazes. Be boring. It may save your life.
History Is Fixed - Whatever Happened, Happened.
The past cannot be changed. Period. The Ark has done extensive research on this subject and concluded that history is set. All events already occurred before you got there. Time paradoxes cannot occur. This means you are accountable for your actions while traveling in the past. Believing otherwise is the fastest way to get hurt. While history cannot be altered, consequences are real. You may not have memory of things you will do, but that does not mean they have not been done already. A seeming paradox, but very important to understand. In other words, you can screw up in the past! Pain, loss, exposure, and personal cost cannot be undone.
Leave No Trace
While traveling, you should leave no trace of your presence. To aid in this process, choose an assumed name to use while in your target era. Do not leave records, artifacts, disturbances, or lingering effects that invite scrutiny.
Take Extensive Notes
Science is perpetuated by taking precise yet thorough notes. Observation is key. Maintain a physical notebook at all times. It is your duty to take extensive notes of your temporal activities. These records help build a better Division of Temporal Operations for current and future travelers. Your contemporaneous written records must include observations, deviations, uncertainties, and personal impressions, regardless of perceived relevance.
Memory is unreliable. Documentation is not.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to adhere to this document.
I understand that temporal travel does not alter history, does not guarantee my safety, and does not obligate the Ark of Veridicus to my recovery.
Signature: ______________________ Date: _________________
Printed Name: ___________________ Clearance Level: ______
Deployment Authorization ID: _____________________________
When Colton Travers was just four months old, a runaway horse on Bent Oak Road cause a car wreck that left his mother dead. His father survived, then vanished. Raised on family stories and faded photographs, he never questioned the past . . . until a worn shoe box of old clippings surfaced with hints of a darker truth. Now, drawn into a fifty-year-old unsolved case, Colton must chase a trail gone cold, where memory holds the clues, time keeps the truth, and justice demands satisfaction.
Stargazing at the June Bug Ranch
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