The Time Wars

History had proved that nations always prospered when they were on a wartime economic standard. War was an inevitable fact of human nature and the advent of time travel had made it possible to avoid the "inconvenience" of the physical presence of a war in present time. International disputes were settled by evaluating the performance of soldiers of the present in conflicts of the past.

The Human Element
Most soldiers of the 27th century are somewhat larger than most people of the past, but within limits, this does not generally present a problem. Most soldiers are cannon fodder to begin with. History can not be changed, there is far too much risk involved. What modern soldiers can do on the Minus side is strictly defined within the parameters of what is known about their period.

In battles of which little historical detail is known, a soldier might be freer in the course of action available to him. For example, during his hitch with the Sioux at Little Big Horn, as Lucas Priest knew that history did not report that a particular Indian had killed Custer, if he was presented with a clear shot at Custer, his course of action was entirely up to him.

However, in battles that have been fairly well documented, a soldier's options are limited considerably. In such cases, soldiers are always placed in relatively insignificant positions, historically speaking. They are, to all intents and purposes, expendable. History has never been very strict about such things as body counts. Therefore, soldiers from Plus Time fight side-by-side with their ancient counterparts and, if they are killed, their cybernetic implants relay that information to the Observers in that time period. MIAs, soldiers sustaining injuries, all go into the tally that becomes the basis for the complex point spread that governs the arbitration proceedings of the Referees.