The Hidden Centuries

           AndrewHarlanwatchedthemenatworkwithabstractedeyes.TheyignoredhimpolitelybecausehewasaTechnician.OrdinarilyhewouldhaveignoredthemsomewhatlesspolitelybecausetheywereMaintenancemen.Butnowhewatchedthemand,inhismisery,heevencaughthimselfenvyingthem.

           TheywereservicepersonnelfromtheDepartmentofIntertemporalTransportation,indun-grayuniformswithshoulderpatchesshowingared,double-headedarrowagainstablackbackground.Theyusedintricateforce-fieldequipmenttotestthekettlemotorsandthedegreesofhyper-freedomalongthekettleways.Theyhad,Harlanimagined,littletheoreticalknowledgeoftemporalengineering,butitwasobviousthattheyhadavastpracticalknowledgeofthesubject.

           HarlanhadnotlearnedmuchconcerningMaintenancewhenhewasaCub.Or,toputitmoreaccurately,hehadnotreallywishedtolearn.CubswhodidnotmakethegradewereputintoMaintenance.The"unspecializedprofession"(astheeuphemismhadit)wasthehallmarkoffailureandtheaverageCubautomaticallyavoidedthesubject.

           Yetnow,ashewatchedtheMaintenancemenatwork,theyseemedtoHarlantobequietly,tensionlesslyefficient,reasonablyhappy.

           Whynot?TheyoutnumberedtheSpecialists,the"trueEternals,"tentoone.Theyhadasocietyoftheirown,residentiallevelsdevotedtothem,pleasuresoftheirown.