# Ross Murdock — The Time Traders character guide > Ross Murdock in The Time Traders by Andre Norton. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Ross, II Ross, Reluctantly Ross, VII Ross, XII Ross, XIII Ross, Ross Murdock of the Project **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A sharp-eyed loner pressed into a secret time project, Ross survives by nerve and suspicion—until a mission strands him among Bronze Age tribesmen who see him as a prize. ## Who they are Ross enters the project as a reluctant recruit with a delinquent's instincts and a talent for keeping his mouth shut while his eyes work. Captured by horsemen who plan to sell him to a hairless, fire-wielding chief, he must argue, bluff, and endure while bound and bleeding. His outsider's suspicion—of his captors, his rescuers, and the enemy alike—makes him the reader's wary guide into a war fought across centuries. ## Relationships ### [Ashe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/ashe) _friendship_ Ashe is Ross's mentor and close ally, sharing a deep bond of trust and mutual respect through time-travel missions. ### [Kurt Vogel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/kurt_vogel) _rivalry_ Kurt Vogel is a dangerous enemy agent who repeatedly clashes with Ross in a high-stakes espionage conflict. ### [McNeil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/mcneil) _friendship_ McNeil is a fellow agent and comrade-in-arms who works alongside Ross on dangerous missions. ### [Judge Rawle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/judge_rawle) _professional_ Judge Rawle is a senior official who oversees Ross's recruitment and assignments within the time-travel project. ### [Ennar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/ennar) _friendship_ Ennar is a native of the ancient world who becomes a trusted friend and helper to Ross during his mission. ### [Major Kelgarries](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/major_kelgarries) _professional_ Major Kelgarries is Ross's commanding officer, issuing orders and managing the time-travel operation. ### [Foscar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/foscar) _rivalry_ Foscar is a hostile native chieftain who opposes Ross and his allies, creating conflict in the prehistoric setting. ### [Tulka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/tulka) _friendship_ Tulka is a native woman who befriends Ross and provides crucial assistance in the ancient world. ### [Assha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/assha) _friendship_ Assha is a native ally who aids Ross, showing loyalty and courage in the face of danger. ### [Ulffa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/ulffa) _friendship_ Ulffa is a native warrior who becomes a loyal companion to Ross during his time in the past. ### [Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/hardy) _rivalry_ Hardy is a skeptical or antagonistic colleague who clashes with Ross over methods and authority. ### [Ashe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/ashe) _friendship_ Ashe is Ross's mentor and close ally, sharing a deep bond of trust and mutual respect through time-travel missions. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, a young criminal recruited for a secret project. He is observant, resourceful, and determined to maintain control despite being disoriented. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/ii) Observes the war game, explores the base, and discovers Hardy in the dark. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/iii) Ross is the protagonist, wary of Kurt but ultimately persuaded to escape the base. He fights Kurt in the snow cat and later cooperates with him to flee. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/iv) Ross is given a second chance after his escape attempt, accepts the trial run to Bronze Age Britain, and undergoes intensive training. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/v) Ross undergoes final checks for his Beaker trader disguise and travels with Ashe to Bronze Age Britain. He experiences the time transition and helps investigate the destroyed Outpost Gog. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/vi) Hunts and cares for the injured Ashe; shows humility and growing competence. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/vii) Captures Lal and frees McNeil; helps McNeil back to the cave; participates in the interrogation of Lal and the meeting with Cassca. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/viii) Undergoes rigorous training and parachutes into the Baltic region as part of the team. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/ix) Ross helps build the shelter, scouts the forest, follows a trail into the taboo mountains, and is captured. ### [The Prisoner and the Strange Village](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/x) Captured and interrogated, maintains cover as Rossa, escapes and explores a strange facility. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xi) Endures a brutal forced march across ice, is left for dead in a crevasse, but escapes and discovers an alien structure where he is healed and his dual memories fully integrate. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xii) Captured and interrogated, then escapes to the alien ship's control cabin, where he tries to use the controls. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xiii) Weary and injured, Ross escapes the village, reunites with McNeil, and later is captured and imprisoned, then rescued by Ashe and McNeil. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xiv) Exhausted and injured, Ross works on the raft, falls into the river during a collision with a tree, and is separated from the group. He later listens to Ashe's alien theory. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xv) Alone and despairing after losing Ashe and McNeil, Ross is captured by a new tribe and forced to fight Ennar for his life. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xvi) Captured and bound by the horsemen, beaten but defiant, learns of the alien chief's reward for him. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xvii) Ross fights physical exhaustion and a psychic compulsion from the aliens as he travels through marshland to the sea. He later endures capture by the horsemen tribe and is tied to a funeral pyre, using his alien suit to survive the fire. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/chapters/xviii) Fights off an alien mental attack using pain and fire; later recovers at base and reaffirms his commitment to the project. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters/ross_murdock - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_time_traders_se/characters