Justice by J. F. Hutton Urs’ sword was not designed for a Briton’s pleasure. But to a kingly man Time has no boundary. _There are historical figures so resplendent in their legendary permanence that no one age can truly claim them. Their deeds ring out across history, for youth must eternally respond to a clarion call which Time’s tyranny will never silence. Give ear, then, as J. F. Hutton evokes from the past a marvel as mysterious as the time travel paradox at the core of this amazing story_. As Urs stood facing the System Policy Board, his young face mirrored an incredible confidence which gave no hint of the tormenting uncertainty within him. Few of the billions watching on life-view screens suspected the effort it cost him to remain outwardly poised and self-reliant. For this was no departmental board, judging small matters of discipline. This was the big one. Much more than the welfare of one individual was involved in any matter that came before it. It was the ultimate court. And it was motivated by one principle--absolute justice. Before he had been summoned, Urs had spent a half hour with the director of the Time Traveler’s Bureau. They hadn’t talked much, after the director’s opening words of reassurance. “Urs, all of us know we’re doing the best we can under difficult conditions. We’ve managed to keep our problems to ourselves, so far. Now that’s over. We’re not blaming you. It could have happened to any of us. We’ll just have to consider it a bad break, and hope for the best.” Now the director and dozens of Urs’ colleagues were watching, in silent anxiety. They were sweating it out with him, reminding themselves that any one of them could just as well be on trial instead. The white-haired chairman of the Policy Board stirred in his recliner. “Third Level Time Explorer Urs, you are charged with breaking System Policy Rule number 86, Subhead C, of the General Code of Time Travel: ‘No visitor to a previous time shall in any way allow the knowledge or techniques of the future to become a part of that preceding culture.’ “You learned this rule in the first week of your preliminary training. It has been periodically reviewed in your refresher courses since. And you received special indoctrination before each of your trips.” Standing tall and straight in his sky-blue uniform, Urs could only nod. The five other members of the Board steadily regarded the young man before them. Their gazes held neither censure nor sympathy. They were of the same stamp as the chairman--pale, professional weighers of evidence. The chairman continued, “Specifically, you entered a primitive society on the planet Earth in a region known as Great Britain. Your project was to gather data for a culture-graph, in conformity with the continuing study of a pattern which originated in that area and subsequently profoundly affected Earth and her satellites.