A Second Chance characters

Also known as Max

Appears from the start

An experienced St Mary's historian whose instinct is to protect her team even when doing so conflicts with procedure. She enters the book carrying the losses of earlier missions and building a life with Leon Farrell.

Appears from the start

St Mary's director and the authority who balances its research programme against the safety of staff and the demands of sponsors. He knows both Max's value and her tendency to turn a rescue into an unauthorised operation.

Appears from the start

Head of Technical and Max's partner. He designs, repairs, and sometimes pilots the pods, approaching temporal risks with an engineer's caution even when loyalty draws him into the field.

Appears from the start

A senior historian and Max's most dependable field colleague. Peterson combines careful preparation with the flexibility required to survive when a historical observation ceases to be controlled.

Appears from the start

St Mary's senior security officer, responsible for protecting expeditions as well as the institute. His practical authority becomes essential on missions where local warfare overwhelms the historians' plans.

Appears from the start

A resourceful security operative who is loyal to St Mary's and comfortable working in disorder. He accompanies teams whose historical destinations are likely to require more than observation.

Appears from the start

The institute's administrator and a calm centre of its daily operations. Mrs Partridge coordinates the people and information needed to bring teams back from increasingly ambitious assignments.

Appears from the start

A senior scientist whose department helps assess historical evidence and solve unusual technical problems. His enthusiasm remains intact despite St Mary's record of turning research into emergencies.

Appears from the start

The renegade traveller whose attacks have already cost St Mary's lives. At the opening he remains a known enemy with access to temporal operations, though his location and next intervention are uncertain.

First appears in chapter 8

The Greek warrior whose quarrel and battlefield reputation dominate the final phase of the Trojan War. To the St Mary's observers he is both a legendary figure and a dangerous man operating within a brutal military camp.

First appears in chapter 8

A prince of Troy and one of the city's principal defenders. The historians encounter him as part of the human conflict behind later epic tradition.