The Temporal Knights Read Online Free Page A

programmed into the spacecraft’s computers. Over the first six months we will accelerate to approximately 99.85% the speed of light. In Earth time it will take just over 400 years, but as you all know, as we near the speed of light time will slow down for us, and the perceived time of the trip will be just over three and a half years. Once we’re in the enemy system we’ll fly over the Skawp’s capital city and release two of our nuclear weapons.”
    “Whether or not the first attack is successful in killing the Queen, approximately four hours later we will fire the remaining two warheads into the center of their capitol city. As you know the nukes are all bunker busters and should penetrate through the surface and into their network of underground tunnels. Each warhead should be able to penetrate the Skawp’s defenses up to a quarter of a mile if not farther, depending on resistance, where they will detonate.” 
    “It’s the hope and belief of Director Robertson that if the Queen is not killed, then perhaps the destruction will put the Skawp’s behind the accelerated advance on earth. If we complete our mission and survive, then we will return home and see.” Murphy paused for a moment looking each crewmember in the eye.
    “Total elapsed time of the mission from an Earth-time perspective will be about 850 years. If all goes well, we will return to Earth approximately 270 years before the Skawp’s first attack. Hopefully this will give us enough time to help in the advancement process if General Wilder and the rest fail.”
    Everyone was silent, grim and determined.
    “Turnbull,” Matt finally said.
    “Well, one thing we can be sure of, water will not be a problem. The ship’s fusion engine will create more water than the fission engine can process. Quite ingenious really. The Skawp’s are not fools despite what we think of their warriors and their fighting methods. The engines are completely self-sufficient and it’s anybody’s guess just how long they can operate on the initial water supply we will take aboard, though Robertson assures us it will be far longer than our trip to and from the Skawp’s home world.
    Food most likely will not be a problem either; the ship is sufficiently large enough that we can store enough freeze-dried and canned food to last us about ten years. We will also take along live tomato, potato, and bean plants. How they will grow in the weaker gravitational environment we don’t know yet, but studies aboard the International Space Station give us hope. The ship is large enough to store nearly everything we may need, though it will seem quite cozy after three and a half years together. In any case we shouldn’t starve...unless of course Einstein is completely wrong.”
    Matt smiled and nodded to Harold.
    “I don’t really have much to add, except that as the ship’s Medical Officer I will demand that we exercise regularly. The artificial gravity created by the Skawp’s ship is only about three-fifths that of Earth’s gravitational pull.  Enough to hold everything in place, but not enough to keep our muscles and bones fully developed. However, with enough strenuous exercise we should be able to keep the atrophy to a minimum...and we will take our vitamins.”
    “I have a feeling that boredom and cabin fever will make exercise very enjoyable,” Matt answered. “And since I am the Commander, and the officer in charge of entertainment and psychological well being, I’m pleased to tell you that we will have millions of movie titles stored in our computer’s hard drive, along with the entire contents of the Library of Congress. We’ll be taking nearly every book known to man. We will also have regular classes, learning everything from second and third languages, to astronomy and physics, and basic mechanical repair. The Skawp’s quantum computers can store a massive amount of data and we have loaded nearly everything ever known to man...and everything ever known to the