Reagan was still sound asleep. "You should get up and get ready." Katie whispered. "I can't wait to hear about it tomorrow. It is going to be so mu...ch fun."I got up quietly and showered and got ready. I went over and kissed the still sleeping Reagan. I then returned to Katie. We kissed some more. She smiled, "You better go before I pull you back into bed. I love you, forever." I got up to go."Oh baby, don't forget the stuff you will need." Katie whispered.I grabbed the items and then. Her plan hinged on the factthat Earth's government had an urgent need to set up a grass rootsEmbassy on Imperium. Currently there is no reasonable candidate to fillthe Ambassador's position, but that was about to change.In other circumstances, Michelle would be an ideal candidate. She hadspent many years assimilating Imperium culture, following their politicsand learning their customs. She speaks Latin as fluently as a native ofthat world and has good diplomatic skills. Indeed, she is someone. " Done."It took him all of half an hour to go round and add up the total cost, closely followed by Jill doing exactly the same thing."That comes to four thousand eight hundred and eighty-two pounds madam."Mum and I gulped noisily as his pencil worked overtime."Less the discount of seven and a half percent, which is - - -." Six hundred and ten pounds, twenty-five pence," said Jill and he actually smiled."Quite madam." Which leaves a balance of four thousand, two hundred and seventy-one pounds,. I opened the memory in my mind and pretended to click on it. If I concentrated on its unfolding, I'd not think of the present.I parked the rental car and looked at the long narrow street of townhouses. I was not there by choice entirely. I had sudden business in the dreary little city that was the reason for being for the working class suburb in which Dave and I'd grown up and been friends. Some confluence of sporting events, March madness? a Nascar race? I don't know, had swallowed most of the.