Chapter 7: Ed Straker woke up about twenty minutes before he was due to initiate the EOI maneuver. Five hours of sleep wasn’t much but it would have to do. “SSC 1 to Moonbase, how do you read?” “Loud and clear SSC1, be advised you are go for EOI, SID is operational, sir.” “That’s great news Nina, is Colonel Lake around?” “She’s on sleep period, shall I wake her?” “No please don’t, I’ll talk to her later. SSC1 out.” “Have a safe flight Commander, Moonbase out.” Straker switched over to the Mission Control frequency. “Houston, SSC1. Confirm go for EOI.” “SSC1, Houston, you are go for EOI in nine minutes and fifty four seconds, mark.” “Synco Houston. SSC1 out.” Ed thought about the events of the past two weeks as his ship headed home. Another close friend killed, another relationship destroyed, how much more hurt and pain could he stand. Collins was one of his closest friends and he had died twice. It tore Ed up inside and there was only one person in the world who would understand, as she had just gone through the same thing, he felt sorrow for her as well. And that too could be very complicated now that he knew she was attracted to him. Ed would have to be careful from now on not to let his feelings show as she would spot them in a heartbeat and he wasn’t ready to risk that. He couldn’t even risk calling her by name, as much as he wanted to. Two weeks later Ginny and Paul were at the symphony together and as much as she was enjoying the music, she was just wishing the night would end. Paul was brooding and fidgeting all night long. He didn’t even have the good grace to pretend to enjoy himself. Ginny already knew that they wouldn’t last although she would have given it a little more time if Paul were more mature. Virginia was grateful when the show ended, but she was not looking forward to the upcoming conversation. “Did you enjoy the concert Ginny?” he asked on the way to her apartment. “Not as much as I should have.” “I’m sorry; this just isn’t my cup of tea.” “I don’t mean to seem ungrateful Paul; I do appreciate you taking me tonight. But you and I come from two different worlds. I’d probably feel the same way you did tonight if we had gone to a hard rock concert.” “I get the feeling I’m not going to like where this ends up,” he said as he pulled into her driveway. “We do need to talk Paul, but let’s wait until we get inside as I have a lot to say to you.” They got out of the car and walked into the lobby taking the elevator to the third floor. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked when they were inside. “Scotch on the rocks?” “Certainly.” Virginia grabbed a glass and filled it with ice while she placed a tea kettle on the stove. She poured the amber liquid into his glass and brought it to him. “Nothing for you?” “My tea water is boiling.” Virginia sat down in the chair across from him and began, “Paul let’s be honest with each other, this isn’t what either one of us had in mind is it?” “Not really, I would have thought by this point we would have a physical relationship. I’ve never been held off this long by anyone.” Ginny raised an eyebrow at that. “Maybe you should reevaluate the type of people you have been dating. Let me ask you something, would you want the woman you marry to have been with every Tom, Dick, and Harry in town?” “I never thought about it, but, no I wouldn’t.” “Why not?” “It’s not proper…” He paused for a second “I think I see your point.” The tea kettle in the kitchen began to whistle. “Excuse me a second,” she said as she got up to fix her tea. She came back with her cup and set it down on the coffee table to steep. “Paul it would have been very easy for me to allow myself to get physical with you. I was lonely and I was ready to explore that avenue with Craig. If I didn’t have any respect for myself or for you I would have; I think my loneliness is why I agreed to start seeing you. You see Paul my father died before I was born, so I never had a relationship with him, and because of that my relationships as an adult have been adversely affected. I ended up married to the first guy who showed interest in me and that ended up in a divorce.” She paused and took a sip of tea. “I’m sorry about that Ginny.” “Thanks, anyway I knew I had a problem and I spent a year in counseling to learn how to deal with it. I found out that a woman’s relationship with her father sets the tone for her relationships with men throughout her life. Because I never knew my father, I had no frame of reference to compare to. Fortunately my mom was able to fill in some of the blank spaces. Through her I, at least feel like I knew my father, and it’s been an ongoing process.” “What does that have to do with us?” “What was your family life like?” “My parents divorced when I was six. I stayed with my mother at first. For the first few years she had a different man in the house every month. She ended up remarried when I was ten. That lasted about two years. When I was sixteen I moved in with my father, he had been remarried for six years and he’s still married to the same woman. I joined the service when I was eighteen.” “Don’t you think those events had an effect on your life?” “Are you saying I need a therapist?” “I’m not saying anything, that’s a question only you can answer.” “So what about us Ginny, where do we go from here?” “You told me yourself that you’re not ready to settle down and I’ve told you my hopes and dreams. Has any of that changed?” “I’m not ready for marriage or a family.” “And I don’t want to be in a dead end relationship, and Paul I have a clock that’s ticking away. That’s something a man doesn’t have to be as concerned about.” “So I guess it’s over.” “Yeah, unless you can give me a reason it shouldn’t be?” “The fact that I care for you doesn’t count?” “It’s sweet of you to say that, and I care for you too, but it’s not enough. Even if you were willing make the changes about marriage and family, would you be happy living my lifestyle?” “I don’t think I’d ever get used to the symphony.” “Classical music is one of my loves in life; I listen to it a lot when I’m home. It relaxes me.” “I see, I guess we are worlds apart.” “Paul, you helped me get through a difficult time, and for that I’m grateful, I’ll always consider you a friend.” He finished his drink and stood up. “Well I should get going I know you have to be at HQ first thing tomorrow.” Ginny stood and took his hand pulling him into a hug as she started to cry. “I’m sorry Paul,” she said through her tears. They held each other for a few minutes before Paul let her go. “I’ll see you later,” he said. “Bye.” When he had left Ginny got herself ready for bed. She cried herself to sleep that night. The SHADO dress uniform was seldom seen or used except on certain occasions. This morning’s ceremony was one of those occasions. Virginia hated being in the spotlight and she was still upset that Henderson had done this to her. She was just doing her duty as she saw it. Virginia was going to refuse the decoration until the Commander convinced her otherwise. Ed Straker could be pretty persuasive when he wanted to be, especially when he was wearing the Commander’s dress uniform. She had to fight to keep her self control as he looked so damn sexy in it. The uniforms were pure white with simple gold rank embellishments and they all had the SHADO logo. The ladies version had a calf length skirt instead of slacks. Virginia liked the ladies dress uniform much better than the tight fitting cat suits they normally had to wear. The BDU’s as they were called left much more to the imagination. The doors opened in the back and Commander Straker entered with General Henderson and Colonel Freeman. Everyone in the room stood and snapped to attention. Behind the podium were three chairs and Freeman and Henderson took two of them as Ed stood at the podium. Straker surveyed the room and began to speak. “There are very few times that we are able to honor those of us who have shown great courage and gallantry to defend our planet and our way of life. Most of the time this award is given posthumously due to the extreme sacrifice being made by the person receiving the award. On that note I call for a moment of silence to honor those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of our planet.” After a few moments Ed continued, “Today we honor a woman of great integrity, and courage, who selflessly risked her life to save the lives of her comrades in the heat of battle. Her selfless devotion to duty not only saved the lives of two of her comrades, but all of those on Moonbase. She is a lady that I am honored to call a friend. Colonel Virginia Lynn Lake, step forward please.” Virginia Lake stepped beside the podium and faced the Commander. “Attention to orders: Colonel Lake, for distinguished action in combat, it is my honor and privilege to award you with the SHADO Silver Star. Your actions under fire showed selfless courage and gallantry, and reflect highly on yourself and those serving with you. Your actions are keeping with the highest military traditions and the ideals that this organization is based on.” Ed placed the medal over her head and shook her hand. “Congratulations Colonel.” “Thank you Commander.” Virginia knew she would be expected to say something and she stood at the podium looking out at her comrades. “Three years ago, I came to SHADO from one of the companies that built the utronic equipment for the tracking system. I knew has soon as arrived here that I wanted to be part of this organization. When Commander Straker offered me a position it was a dream come true. It was an honor that I wasn’t worthy of and more than I would have ever hoped for. But I wish for the day when we no longer have to defend ourselves from an enemy that we do not understand, a day where we no longer worry about the lives of our children or loved ones. I pledge myself to work towards achieving that goal. Thank you.” When Virginia sat back down, Paul leaned over to her and said, “Great speech.” “Stop it,” she said quietly. Ed stepped back to the podium and said, “A small reception will be held in the mess hall and there will be refreshments as well. Dismissed.” Ed walked up to Virginia and said, “Well now that wasn’t so bad was it?” “Next time I’ll talk the General into doing this to you, sir.” “You’ve got two weeks furlough coming, any plans?” “My new aircraft arrived the other day. Gay Ellis and I are going flying tomorrow.” “Oh very nice. Well enjoy your time off because I’m going to be depending on you, quite a bit in the months to come.” “Commander may I speak with you privately for a moment?” “Certainly, let’s go to my office.” Straker told Alec that they would be along in a few minutes and the two of them stopped in Ed’s office. “What’s on your mind?” he asked when the doors had closed. “Commander, because of certain decisions I have made over the past few months you may begin to hear things about me.” “Yes, the only thing that travels faster than light is gossip,” he said. “Regardless of what you might hear about me, I want you to know that I don’t sleep around.” “Well Colonel, what happens in your personal life is really none of my business.” “I believe it is sir. I’m going to be your executive officer and I can’t be effective if I think that my CO has doubts about my judgment personal or otherwise. While I don’t worry as much about what others might think, your opinion is very important to me.” “I see. Well to put your mind at ease I had given you more credit than that.” “Thank you sir.” “Well, there is a reception waiting and the guest of honor should be there. Shall we go?” “Of course.” They walked out of the office and headed for the mess hall. The next day, Gay and Ginny, were flying in the new Mooney Bravo that Ginny had purchased. “So how are things going with the new Skydiver Gay?” “It’s a lot of work Ginny, I was lucky that I was able to get some furlough time this week. How are you holding up?” “I’m okay now, Paul and I parted amicably and I’m finally over Craig. That was a tough one to deal with.” “I was surprised when I heard about you and Paul. More like shocked.” “I know that will go down as my one big mistake in life, right next to Brad.” The cockpit filled with laughter. “So now you’re working with the Commander. That’s got to be a change.” “Yeah, but I think I’m going to like it. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had.” “Mark said to tell you hello.” “Oh give him my regards, Nina says hi as well.” “You know Ginny; we need to get Nina and Joan together with us for lunch sometime.” “That would be fun, let me see if I can figure out the next time that our time off coincides.” “That would be great.” Virginia sat on her couch later that evening having her nightly cup of tea. Borodin played in the background while she contemplated the events of the past year. Her assignment as Moonbase Commander had been completed successfully and she had made some good friends along the way. The posting had also twice almost cost her, her life. She found that thought very sobering and it gave her a new perspective on life. Ginny had become close to both Gay and Nina, in fact they were her two closest friends. She considered herself to be very blessed. Relationships, now there’s a subject, she thought to herself. She had allowed herself to fall for Craig Collins, and it might have worked had he not been killed on re-entry almost two and a half months ago. Ginny had decided that whatever had come back was not Craig Collins. And Paul, girl, what were you thinking? Virginia had known right away that it was a mistake but she neglected to put a stop to it. Fortunately she had the wherewithal to keep her head about things and not let it get to the next level. But now her reputation was tarnished, she would have to deal with that. The bottom line was that there was only one man she had met that she would consider a relationship with, Ed Straker. Nina was sure that there was an attraction from his side but Ginny never saw any indication of it, if anything he seemed more distant since she had unwittingly revealed her feelings to him. That was a big mistake! By trying to do damage control, by telling him that she didn’t sleep around, probably pushed him further away. “Damn it, me and my big mouth!” she said out loud. Still Nina was sure that something was there, and she was a good judge of character, not to mention that she had known Ed forever. Well it’s up to him now, she thought as she headed for the bedroom knowing it was going to be another sleepless night thinking about him. Epilogue: “Dr. Jackson?” “Colonel Foster. Please come in.” Paul walked into the office of the SHADO psychiatrist and sat in the chair. “So Colonel what brings you in to see me?” “I think I have some unresolved family issues.” “I see. What is it that makes you think that way?” “Well, I can’t seem to establish or maintain a meaningful relationship.” “Ah, you refer to your recent breakup with Colonel Lake.” “Yes.” “Colonel Foster I’ve seen the psychological profiles for both of you. The two of you are on opposite sides of the spectrum. The fact that this relationship didn’t work doesn’t mean that you have a problem.” “It’s not only her, it’s any woman I’m with.” “Well now, that’s a different story. I can try to help you Colonel, but it will take time for us to work through this. You’ve taken the first step in a long journey Colonel Foster.” “Will this go on my record?” “Only if it affects the performance of your duties, in which case I will have to notify Commander Straker. I don’t see that being the case.” “When do we start?” “We can start right now. So Colonel, tell me about your childhood.” END Silver Star: My thoughts: This is probably the most difficult writing project I have tackled to date. Writing within an existing episode can be difficult at best but it become much more problematic when you are trying to change the perception of things that were established in the series. My storyline centers on the developing relationship between Virginia and Ed over the course of a couple of years. The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was the episode “The Man Who Came Back.” This episode showed Virginia in a very poor light, making her look just as promiscuous as Paul. It was a contradiction, as I don’t believe an intelligent woman, in her position would behave that way. In the back story I did for Ginny, she had been awarded the Silver Star for her actions during her tour as Moonbase Commander. I had established that in “Soul Mates” and decided a while back to write a story about that incident. I also had to deal with what I called the “Foster Problem” and how that actually came about. Even I have to admit that Ed would have never gotten involved with Virginia if she had been that promiscuous. Fortunately the episode left quite a few questions unanswered and I used that to my advantage. In my story “Best Friends” Ginny meets Craig Collins for the first time. This is about eight months before “Silver Star.” At first Ginny is not interested but Craig begins to grow on her. When Craig is believed to have been lost in the re-entry accident, he and Ginny were at the cusp of exploring a deeper relationship. The reason I didn’t think it had gone further was the comment that Ginny makes later, “And we weren’t exactly Romeo and Juliet.” It also solved another problem as I wouldn’t have seen Ginny getting involved with someone else so soon had the relationship been intimate. The only way I could see Virginia and Paul in a relationship was a rebound situation and even that wasn’t enough. When the mass attack nearly destroys the control sphere Paul (still in a spacesuit) pulls Ginny out of the dome just as the window blows thus saving her life. And she makes the classic mistake of falling for the guy who saved her. This story is just as much about relationships as it is about Ginny’s heroism, much more so. Later in the story I dive deeply into her feeling thoughts and hopes for the future, in essence what makes her tick. The loss of her father and how she had to overcome the obstacles in her life to become the person she was. I do the same thing with Paul but to a lesser degree. Paul came across as an immature, hotheaded womanizer in the series until the very end where he seemed to be growing up a bit. I addressed that aspect of his personality and my reasons for it are revealed when he tells Ginny about some aspects of his childhood. When Ginny learns that Craig and Ed are going on the mission together she has to reveal some personal thoughts to Ed. She unwittingly tells him that she is attracted to him. She still doesn’t know that the attraction is mutual, a fact I established in “Best Friends.” I loved writing the medal scene with the dress uniforms and ceremony and having Ginny wanting to refuse the award agreeing only after Straker convinced her to take it. I wanted to show her being modest about the award and just thinking she was doing her duty. And her seeing Ed in his dress uniform thinking he was so damn sexy in it, was fun as well. This story was a turning point for Paul as well as the epilogue finds him going to see Dr. Jackson about his deep buried issues. I see this as the first step in a long process towards him becoming the person and the leader I portray in the story “Expecting” which takes place almost three years later. In my storyline Paul makes strides in both personal and professional growth. I was very tempted to write a shell around this episode and call it a bad dream for Ginny. But doing so would have been a cop out and I’m glad I pressed on. I almost scrapped the idea twice as it didn’t seem like it was going to pull together. Louise made a comment on the board at that point that kept me going, thanks Louise! I hope everyone enjoyed the story and I have to say it was an educational experience in writing. Matt
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