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.

Apparently Katy thought that I was too involved in this project 'cause she's been providing visual distraction and impaling herself on the result... ! That is nice, but ... well distracting. Still she says she needs to practice making babies. I told her to sit next to me and make a list of all the words she didn't understand in the description of your ammo since she really is quite smart about chemistry and the like. The Confederacy has some interesting explosives that may get included in the final version of the ammo that will be used.

Also, don't be surprised to have an officer ride along with you when you test out my mark II loader. I wouldn't bet that the Sa'arm aren't more able to detect things (like tanks) in areas of visual denial like smoke screens. It is well to remember that they function as a super computer with the main object of protecting itself and its peripherals. I've included a drawing that I hope will give you an idea of the problem. If ten Sa'arm troopers across a front of half a mile can see your smoke screen then they know where it is. Some of the information I'm hearing says that if they feel there is a threat in an area that they will carpet bomb the area with enough ordinance to land a half ton bomb in every square meter of the area! Yipe! No tanks for me! The navy however is also looking at your tactics. You may end up as an evaluation team for fighter space/aircraft. But I don't know that. Remember this, the army, or navy in my case (not that I can volunteer yet [which reminds me that everyone in the navy is a marine!]) assigns you to where they need you! Not necessarily where you want to go! And as some of the marines here are fond of saying the marine corps has a department of dirty tricks. Unfortunately the people most often affected by that department are not the enemy but people in the marines.

Since I've finally got my improvements to your loader working I'm going to sign off for now and include a set of drawings for it with this letter. It will also include a replicator file that will allow you (or someone) to recreate it there. I asked the AI to include a picture of me with Katy on my lap to distract you, but it reminds me that you will still be underage when this letter arrives.

Your still worried brother,

Will