Chapter 19

Dear Willow,

Someone thinks I should work on your tank. Actually the loading mechanism. I'm sure it wasn't you who included about a ream of technical drawings and information regarding your loader. I got the word from Marissa, 'improve that if you can', so I'm busy in my personal space, which now looks more like the inside of a science fiction machine shop rather than a bedroom ... anyway I have convinced the replicator (I have a small one in my space) to interface with my version of CAD in order to produce parts. So I built your mark I loader to see what it looked like when it was assembled. I sent Marissa an evaluation of it and several ideas for improving it. For a while one part of my personal space looked like a mockup of the interior of your tank.

Anyway all that is to say, don't be surprised if you get an offer to continue your regular classes in an extension course while being in essence camp cadre. I can't of course tell what will happen to you! Just that apparently other people besides Marissa and I are interested in your success. And as Dad once was fond of saying, "The punishment for success is that you are given more and harder work." That I suspect will follow with you and Erica in your tank. On that subject I also have about a ton of drawings but no room to make a full version of your tank.