’ He looked up at me. ‘Yup. That’s you.’ He handed me back my license and credit card. As the credit slip was printing out, he asked casually,...‘You ever go by ‘Robbie’?’ This startled me. I hadn’t used that nickname for years, decades really. Not since I was a freshman at college. I thought, at the time, that ‘Robbie’ was too childish for a real adult. ‘Robert’ was much more dignified, I felt. I had difficulty making it stick among my friends and acquaintances, though. I usually had to settle. 'Despite my current energy reserves being unusually high, your plan would constitute a grossly irresponsible waste of resources.''Fine, I'll go and look around.'Jenny turned and crouched down, ready to make a sneaky exit, when she trod on something soft and furry. This misstep very nearly coincided with Sierra's helpful reminder to 'mind the mammal'.'Meow!' shrieked the cat, predictably enough, as it bolted out of the room as though fleeing from the hounds of hell.Silence followed. Jenny was. In each case, she makes the trade against future purchases. She makes sure they will make the same deals for all three of her students. Min Joon takes care of his right away. Phong Ahn and Chanming would have to come by at another time.From the markets, they head to see Auntie/Mom to inform her that they are back. Mrs. Pak closes up shop early, and they head home, get cleaned up, and head out to dinner on Ki Jung’s tab. Or it would have been on her tab if Min Joon didn’t head off the waitress. “Yes ... Oh, that was quick,” Taisha noted. “Both the Hegemony and Emirate have replied that their fleets will partake in your mission.”“Thank you for your support, Meritocrat,” Clessik replied.“No problem, glad I could help. Good luck and try to keep our people as safe as possible, including our Allies.”“Of course, Meritocrat,” Clessik answered as both Admirals saluted.“We have orders to report to the Assault Carrier Spitfire,” Flinn announced.“New mission then,” Torun observed.