A Distant Future

A Distant Future Part 11

11

I had a few pieces of blast plate that were not very big so I used them to make an Axe. I had to use a plasma laser to sharpen the blade piece and cut an opening in it for my handle. With this done I put it together and tested it on a tree branch with great results. It cut through the wood easily and did not dull. I grabbed my tools and flew up to the top of the windmill I had shut down last night. It was a simple repair. One of the blades was bent and would need to be fixed.

I removed the bent blade and simply replaced it then let the thing begin turning again in the wind. It worked nicely so this was one repair that had been easy. I would work on the busted up solar panels and bent blade later when I was not wanting to go flying. Once all my tools were put away it was time to go flying and spy on the colony as I flew over them and see how well they fared from the storm.

It was a nice slow flight and when I reached the colony it was easy to see them busy removing debris and trying to repair houses that had been damaged by large tree branches hitting them in the storm. I felt sorry for the pair of individuals that were working on removing blades on their large windmill. They were hanging by ropes and arguing with the twisted blades.

I was tempted to help them but decided to not take any chances and instead flew off before they noticed me watching and decided to try to do something stupid about me being there. A quick banking turn for course correction brought me in line with the canyons that were my favorite place to fly. It would be a good day to fly in the canyons and see if that avian had come back yet.

The cave by the waterfall was empty with no further sign of the avian that had been spooked off by me a few days ago by accident. I just wish that they had not been so afraid but I can't blame them. If someone pointed a mark six blaster in my direction then it would be good incentive for me to hide and then fly off quickly when they left and not come back.

It was tempting to take a quick dip into the warm water but it was getting too late in the day for my wings to dry off before sunset so it was not going to happen today no matter how tempting it was. Instead of grabbing a warm shower at the waterfall I instead flew up out of the canyon and considered exploring the forest off west a few miles of the canyons in a few days after the harvest was in and stored safely away.

On impulse I let my course take me back over the windmill the colonists had been working on when

I first flew over them. They had gotten only one blade out before giving up for the day. At the rate they were going it would take them a week to get the blades off so they could straighten them out again. Against my better judgment I decided to return there later in the night and fix it for them. They needed the help was my excuse for missing the company of others and wanting to to be a little closer to them, even if they had no clue I was there.

Almost six hours later I flew back over the lake at low level then finally up to the windmill. What took them hours to do took me only minutes to do thanks to higher strength and the correct tools within reach. I had the advantage of being able to fly as well so there was no need to be nervous about the height or worried about being knocked around in a rope swing by the wind.

With all the blades removed from the unit I was able to make adjustments to it easier so that when the blades were fixed they would go in easier. The rest of the unit was in good shape but it was my belief that they really should rebuild it to do the same thing mine does in bad storms and retract down into a hardened casing to protect it. Maybe eventually they would let me get to know them and with a bit of trust I could fix it for them.