Time Salvager Literary Elements

Science Fiction

It is set approximately 400 years into the future in the outer solar system.

It is narrated in third person.

Dark, Depressing, Tense, Humorous

Protagonist: James Griffin-Mars; Antagonist: ChronoCom

In the future Earth is lacking natural resources and the corporation called ChronoCom runs the human colonies in space. The purpose of the corporation is to manage time travel which is the only solution to bringing back resources from the past. When James discovers the propaganda behind the corporation after breaking a rule of time travel, he goes on a run on Earth.

The climax could be when Levin discovers that ChronoCom is based on lies, especially the restrictions against bringing past objects or people.

“A prerequisite to becoming a chronman was five years of grueling training at the ChronoCom Academy on Tethys. Officially known as time operatives, chronmen had to be intelligent, quick to adapt to changing situations, and be good actors.”

This foreshadows James’ ability to outrun his pursuers and acclimate on Earth, which is now a wasteland.

“Yes, yes.” Young waved it off dismissively. “I was pretty fucking shocked, too, when I learned this.”

Young understates revealing to Levin that The Vallis Bouvard Disaster was fake.

The narrative alludes to the repercussions of environmental devastation and exploitation by capitalist corporations.

“The familiar flash of yellow blinded James as he fell into the brown ocean sludge. Immediately, the nausea of lag sickness overcame him as he sank into the thick, quicksand-like waves. The rising and falling of the oily brown gunk rolled over and enveloped him, threatening to worsen his already tender stomach. For a second, he forgot about Elise and let her go as he flailed in the top layer of ocean. Without his actively willing her to be contained in his exo, Elise slipped through it and disappeared into the frigid brown void.”

The characters take into account the issue of the temporal paradox specifically the grandfather paradox where changing the past is avoided. Ironically, it is revealed that the paradox is actually a lie created by the corporation.

The story parallels the past and present through James and Elise respectively with the latter experiencing culture shock in the present.

“Paper-pushing kept the lights on and the labs funded”

“A second later, an alarm blared across the entire base, its scream echoing in the massive hangar.”