Field Trip

In Short

This science fiction short story follows two time-travelers, Kial and Broyk, who arrive in the twentieth century to study their ancestors. Bound by the strict "Laws of Thek," which forbid sharing information or influencing the past, they observe the era’s "barbaric" social habits with detached curiosity. However, their mission takes a sudden turn when Broyk reveals his status as a telepathic outcast. By deliberately violating the laws that keep them separated from the past, the two travelers find themselves permanently marooned in a world they once viewed with disdain.

The Story

The narrative begins on a train during the twentieth century. Kial, a scholar from the nineteenth galaxy period, is conducting a field trip for his thesis on "Advanced Therapeutical Psychology." He is frustrated by the slow, archaic technology of the era, which he views as a backward, primitive stage of human development. On the train, he encounters Broyk, a traveler from the eighth millennium. Though they are invisible to the passengers around them, they are bound by the First Law of Thek: they cannot share technical or scientific knowledge with one another to avoid causing a paradox that would trap them in the past.

As they observe the commuters, Kial expresses profound disgust at the sight of a young couple showing affection, as his own society has long since eliminated sex. Broyk, however, shows a wistful curiosity about these human emotions. The tension shifts when Broyk reveals he is a telepath—a trait considered an "atavistic" failure in their highly regulated future. He explains that his creators, a Controller who acted as a rogue geneticist, allowed him to live in secrecy before sending him back into time to escape execution. Broyk confesses that he has been searching for a place to belong, and he believes he has found it in the twentieth century.

Kial is initially horrified, clinging to his belief that their futuristic "Center" and galactic civilization represent the height of perfection. Yet, Broyk challenges this, pointing out that even their advanced society is imperfect because it still carries the flawed, residual nature of humanity. Broyk then reveals he has deliberately broken the First Law by sharing forbidden information, effectively sealing their fate. When a panicked Kial realizes they are stranded, Broyk suggests they continue their rebellion by breaking the Second Law: inhabiting the physical bodies of the twentieth-century humans they have been watching. The story concludes with the young couple on the train suddenly embracing with a new, inexplicable intensity, signaling that the travelers have successfully merged with their ancestors, abandoning their cold future to live out their lives in a more vibrant, if chaotic, time.

How It Unfolds

A chance encounter Kial and Broyk meet on a train, realizing they are both time-travelers visiting the twentieth century from different periods of the future. They discuss the strict Laws of Thek, which exist to prevent travelers from accidentally altering the timeline or becoming stuck in the past.

Observing the primitive The two travelers watch the passengers, specifically a young couple, with a mix of academic detachment and moral judgment. Kial remains disgusted by human emotion, while Broyk displays a growing, dangerous fascination with the ways of the past.

The telepathic confession Broyk probes Kial’s mind, revealing his status as an atavist—someone born with forbidden telepathic abilities. He explains that he was sent back in time to escape the fate of other "failures" in his era, and he admits his desire to remain in the twentieth century.

The deliberate trap Broyk reveals that he has intentionally violated the First Law by sharing knowledge, forcing both himself and Kial to remain in this era. He proposes that they take the final step of discarding their invisible, non-corporeal state to inhabit the bodies of the humans they have been observing.

Final integration The story ends with the young couple on the train acting with newfound passion, suggesting the two travelers have successfully possessed their bodies and begun their new, grounded existence.

The People

Kial is a rigid, academic intellectual who views his own future society as the pinnacle of evolution. He relies heavily on the Laws of Thek to justify his sense of superiority over the "barbaric" past. Throughout the story, he is forced to confront his own suppressed impulses, eventually shifting from a detached observer to a man who begins to envy the vitality of the ancestors he once looked down upon.

Broyk serves as the catalyst for change. As an atavist—a genetic "failure" capable of telepathy—he has lived his life in hiding, rejected by the society that created him. He is more observant and cynical than Kial, recognizing that their "perfect" future is merely a veneer over the human nature they inherited. He is the one who orchestrates their marooning, acting out of a desperate, quiet need to escape his role as a test subject and find a genuine life. By the end, he convinces Kial that their destiny lies not in the stars, but in the messy, passionate reality of the twentieth century.

In Its Own Voice

Kial struggles to understand the motivations of the primitive humans he is studying.

"Look! Lovers! Honeymooners! I've read about such things! Isn't it disgusting?"

Broyk explains the cold, logical reasoning that prevents time travelers from interfering with history.

"I'd have knowledge that wasn't dreamed of in my own time, but was discovered sometime during the next four periods."

Broyk justifies his decision to trap them both in the past, viewing it as an act of liberation.

"We're marooned in the Twentieth Century. You have to accept it."

What It's Really About

The central conflict involves the tension between rigid social engineering and the irrepressible nature of human emotion. The book argues that even the most advanced, technological utopias are flawed because they attempt to excise the "atavistic" parts of humanity—desire, passion, and individual thought. By forcing his companion to abandon the detached, clinical life of the future, Broyk suggests that the "barbarism" of the past is actually a more authentic expression of life than the sterile, regulated existence of the future. The story serves as a critique of societies that prioritize order and technical perfection over the messy, fundamental experiences that make life feel worth living.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century science fiction will appreciate the brevity and the philosophical stakes of this story. It moves quickly, stripping away dense world-building to focus on a high-concept dilemma: would you trade a long, safe life in a regulated future for a short, passionate one in the past? The prose is straightforward and occasionally blunt, reflecting the mid-century tendency to prioritize ideas over atmospheric world-building.

However, readers should be prepared for the period-specific tone. The characters’ disdain for "old-fashioned" emotions can feel somewhat stiff or exaggerated, and the technological "Laws" are presented as narrative devices rather than hard science. The story’s power lies in its ending, which is surprisingly evocative; it leaves the reader with a lingering sense of melancholy regarding the travelers' loss of their own timeline, countered by the sudden, vibrant surge of life in the couple they inhabit. It is a brief, thought-provoking piece that captures the post-war fascination with the intersection of genetics, psychology, and the inevitable pull of human history. Anyone interested in the "what if" scenarios of classic science fiction will find it an intriguing, concise addition to the genre.