HMS Vanguardia, English Channel, July 2059
Victor began the task of drafting a set of time travel rules, blending guidelines prescribed by George with his own insights. As he began to type, it dawned on him that he wasn’t just formulating regulations, but also writing a contract between SHADO and Father Time himself.
- Temporal Non-Interference: Agents will avoid any unnecessary alterations to historical or future events beyond the mission’s objective.
- Restricted Timeframes: The Quantum Keys do not permit time travel to the future beyond the year 2085.
- Clothing and Concealment: Only the clothing worn by the agent and items concealed beneath that clothing will accompany them through time.
- Artifact Acquisition: Agents may bring back items from both the past and the future to the current timeline, but caution is advised, viruses and other pathogens being the main concern.
- Temporal Boundary: Travel to the past beyond the year 1100 is forbidden.
- Frequency Limitations: Agents are advised against making more than three jumps per day due to potential health risks.
- Temporal Records: Detailed records of all missions, including changes made to the timeline, must be maintained.
- No Assassinations: Engaging in deliberate assassination to adjust a timeline is prohibited.
- Non-Weaponisation Clause: Time travel must never be employed as a weapon or tool against governments, nations, or individuals, except in cases of dire global emergencies, and if required to prevent the destruction of Earth in 2086.
- Temporal Secrecy: Agents must never disclose information about time travel equipment or missions to anyone outside of the designated team. This includes refraining from sharing details with family and friends.
- Non-Contact Clause: SHADO members are prohibited from contacting their own future and past selves.
- Personal Gain: Members of the team are prohibited from utilising time travel for personal gain, whether for financial benefits or personal advantages.
- Reporting: Team members are required to limit mission duration to three days maximum. Upon completion, they must return to the hub to submit their report.
- Use of Autojectors: Before using an Autojector, agents must ensure they possess unequivocal evidence of an action justifying sterilisation and the removal of an unborn person from the timeline.
He scrutinised the document many times, recognising its pivotal role in their journey. Each word carried the weight of their collective aspirations and the gravity of their mission.
As he prepared to present it to the team, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the magnitude of this moment. With these rules firmly entrenched, they stood at the threshold of the experimental phase, a juncture teeming with both exhilaration and trepidation.
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