"Merlin was there when Britons made their first contact with the Saxons," Nimue said to Isis now that they were alone. "It was supposed to be after Camelot and Benwick and many other worlds have formed a peaceful alliance of kingdoms, with Arthur high king and his father before him. In fact it was Uther made that first contact, decades before now."
"Are you saying history has been changed?"
"In a major way. The Fabric of Time itself must be in danger of unraveling."
"Maybe it's not real history. I mean, maybe it's an event that won't be preserved in the records. That'd explain why there's nothing about you in the Round Table records from this time, though you're here now."
Nimue shook her head. "Not possible. Originally Uther stumbled on their planet on his way somewhere else, and with one thing and another he and Merlin essentially created the Saxons' interstellar empire. But now - this now - Arthur's been sent on a first contact mission by his fellow petty kings, in Camelot's very first exploratory space vessel, to an already established Saxon empire. This is too big a difference not to influence Britain's history from now on - which means this whole galaxy's history, and then the universe's. And there are smaller differences too. Britain ought to be having a total hiatus in teleporter technology right now, not developing their own. And Guenevere's a doctor, not an engineer."
"Who could have created such a major change?"
"I wish I knew. I could barely pull it off myself if I wanted to. It would almost take the power of the sorcerors of Avalon themselves. I simply must investigate, and that means observing events as they unfold in this new history."
"Perhaps you should have thought of that before your abrupt change of heart made King Arthur suspicious enough to throw us in the brig."