Introduction

This story is a sequel to H. Beam Piper's novel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. That novel was published, copyright 1965, by Ace books; it consisted of three novellas originally serialized in Analog. Regrettably, real life events had over-taken Piper. In November of 1964, Piper put a .38 revolver to his temple and pulled the trigger; he had been, at that point in his life, literally living on birds he shot in the park. This, from a man who that year, was voted as one of the top ten science fiction writers of all time!

Roland Green and John F. Carr wrote a sequel to the original novel, Great King's War, copyright 1985. John F. Carr wrote a sequel to that novel, entitled Kalvan Kingmaker, copyright 2000. Carr has also brought out another sequel, The Siege of Tarr-Hostigos in late 2004.

I cannot state it too firmly: If you haven't read everything H. Beam Piper wrote, you should, if for no other reason than the quality of his writing. His stories range from simple, to stories of enormous important. "Omnilingual" is perhaps the best first contact story ever written, IMO... even if there was no contact. Unless, maybe, Little Fuzzy holds that honor... another of Piper's novels.

Have you read a mainstream published fan fic story of Poul Anderson's Flandry? Heinlein's Lazarus Long? Any other mainstream S-F author's characters? Little Fuzzy by Piper rated two that reached print. Ardath Mayhar's Golden Dream and William Tuning's Fuzzy Bones. As above, Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen has three: Great King's War, Kalvan Kingmaker and the new Siege of Tarr-Hostigos.

This is fan devotion above and beyond. Fans have convinced publishers to put money into the memory of H. Beam Piper: this isn't just a little unusual -- it's unique. True, there are series stories like those in the Star-Trek, Star Wars, Dragon Realms universes and the like; but those are major companies exploiting their products. Not fans pushing a writer they love.

So, I have written another sequel in the Lord Kalvan universe.

In my opinion, Great King's War was a worthy successor to H. Beam Piper's vision, while John Carr's two later works aren't. So, I have drawn from the timeline based on Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen and Great King's War, to use in my stories. To John F. Carr, I salute you for a noble effort. Mene mene, tekel upharshin.

So, for those who can't find the books:

Corporal Calvan Morrison, Pennsylvania State Police went, once upon a time, on a mission to arrest a law-breaker. Alas, he was abducted.

Instead of aliens, Calvan was abducted by accident by a paracop, a paratemporal timeline policeman, who had been on a routine mission. His vehicle, a paratemporal conveyor, interpenetrated another such time-line traveling vehicle, going the other way. Such interpenetrations, on occasion, allowed innocent locals to be swept up and taken along.

Corporal Morrison had been intent on a dangerous law-breaker. His weapon was ready, in his hand. When the paracop attempted to kill Corporal Morrison, per his standing orders, he received a bullet for his intent. Before you could say, "What the heck!" Corporal Morrison was out of the vehicle he'd been so briefly co-opted into, and into a timeline completely different from his.

Calvan Morrison was from Fourth Level, Europo-American Subsector. First Level, why that's where the paracops live, where blood-sucking leeches exploit all the other races of man. Ghaldron and Hesthor had discovered paratemporal transposition, giving the First Level 'Civilization' access to the rest of the time continuum.

First Level was the result of the successful Martian attempt to settle Earth. In most time lines the colonization attempt failed to retain their technology, but not in the First Level.

Second Level was also the result of the Martian colonization of Earth and they lost their civilization, but didn't sink to barbarism. Eventually, they created a faster-than-light empire and didn't need outside help.

Third Level was more Martian colonists, but they traveled roads less frequented than Second Level. It doesn't take many wrong turns to send the entire species into barbarism and that for a long time.

Fourth Level. That was the largest set of inhabited time lines in the Paratemporal universe. Local apes developed of their own accord, there were orders of magnitude more variety of cultures and civilizations that had resulted. You see, Paratime means access to all possibilities, over all time.

Fifth Level was the dumping ground of First Level. By definition, nowhere on fifth level had a sapient species developed. Fifth level alternatives numbered in the billions and trillions; each a separate earth, each colonizable, subject to mineral extraction or whatever exploitation the First Level required.

First Level had long since decreed no local industry on their own time line; they relied entirely on factories situated on the Fifth Level. Natives on the Fourth Level supplied much of the Prole labor that First Level needed to exist. This resulted in a lot of paratemporal conveyor traffic; some of which, on occasion, interpenetrated. Bringing along unfortunates from other timelines.

The "lucky" were shot dead by paracops, ready and waiting to protect "The Paratime Secret." Calvan Morrison had been about to deal with an armed criminal, the paracop who faced him had been bored, prepared to deal with a dazed, disorganized, barely human member of the race. Calvan Morrison drilled the paracop when the paracop tried to lift his weapon.

Chapter 1 »