The Temporal Knights by Richard D. Parker Read Free Book Online

air. “I’ll try to get Blish free to look at the warheads sometime in the morning,” he said.
    “I’d appreciate that Colonel,” Matt answered.
    “Just get that ship online.”
     
     
     
    §
     
     
     
    It took three days before half of the trucks and most of the hummers were operable again. The engines of the alien ship were still offline, and a mystery. The diagnostic equipment could find no problems. On the bright side, there was absolutely no sign of any marauding Skawps, which was very encouraging, but likewise they found no evidence of people, at least in the relatively small safety perimeter General Peebles allowed them to search.
    “The ship’s computers can find nothing wrong with the engines,” Major Thane reported to the General and Colonel Lemay just outside the command tent. The day was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures in the low sixties and a perfectly clear deep blue sky overhead. The first clear day since their arrival, though it’d only rained sporadically. Three soldiers sat quietly nearby, taking a quick break to enjoy the weather. They were clearly listening in, but the General paid it no mind. There was no need for secrets among the last of the human race. He would trust his life with any of his men and he knew the feeling was mutual.
    “We’re going to send Sergeant Moore out with a squad to scout the area for any signs of life,” Peebles said finally. “Have you had a chance to look over the Bots?”
    “No Sir,” Matt answered frowning.
    They’d brought a pair of Bot Speedcruisers across with them. The Bot was a German designed two-seater ultra-light aircraft. They were the very same planes Matt, Duncan, Mark and Phil used to escape Peterson Air Base when things went south. Phil died soon after, Mark was ripped apart not three months later, and Duncan…Matt would rather not think of Duncan. The planes had a light, hard composite shell and were now modified with folded wings. It was a bit of a surprise when Commander Wilder decided to take them through the Door, towed behind a couple of trucks. 
    Though completely useless against the Skawps, the planes were now perfect for low altitude reconnaissance…that is if the Door functioned properly. They were sleek, light weight, and because their wings folded down upon themselves they were easy to move about when not flying. The planes were powered by a simple twin cylinder piston engine. The planes were very easy to operate and simple to repair. Though the engines had an output of only eighty horsepower, it was enough for the small planes to reach a top speed of just over one hundred miles an hour. And best of all they were very easy on gas. The General would use them when he needed a more accurate overall picture than the video the bugs could send back.
    “I just sent Gardner over to have a look at them, perhaps you could help,” the General said. “I’d like the Captain up in the air in conjunction with the Moore’s squad on the ground. Do you have any objections to that, or see any possible dangers we may have over looked?”
    Matt thought about it for a moment. If the Door was successful, the indigenous population would be of little or no danger to the airplane, and if there were Skawps around...well if there were any Skawps on the planet, their little group would have been located and exterminated long before now.
    “I have no objections Sir. I’m as eager as the next to see where and when we are. It looks more and more like the Door may have actually worked,” Matt answered with a slight smile.
    Peebles shook his head. “Yes eager, but be mindful. We need to take care that we don’t become too eager. We must be very careful. Even if the Door was successful, there are still a finite amount of us with which to complete this mission, and the Dark Ages were not called so out of whim.”
    “Surely you don’t expect any trouble from the local population. Our technology is far superior....”
    “We’re not here to