Yeah, Matt.  I figured that.  I've been doing a lot of listening to UFO myself the past two days.   

I sure miss that mutual friend!  :

Chapter 3 reposted with minor revisions and additions.

That's really how I see him; to be as well respected as he was there had to be an underlying reason. (It certainly wasn't because they were all drinking buddies.) The only thing that makes sense to me is Ed had to care deeply for each and every person under his command, and he went through pure hell everytime he lost one. That fact had to be well known, heck even Paul saw that. I really don't know how the poor man kept his sanity.

And for me allowed to sit in the chair of "The Man". Talk about feeling unworthy. :

I think it's awesome that you got to sit in his chair!    Some of us have no hope of ever getting to do something as cool as that!  : 
Although I guess if I had to choose, it's still better to have slept in his bed!!! 

Very cleverly executed scaling up of the tension levels, Matt!  Also, I like how Straker is appreciating your worth as a member of the team.  (See?  You're not unworthy!) 

What's next?  :

I made some minor changes and added a bit to chapter four.

I hope Ginny survived!

Denise told me the same thing when I wrote "Matters of the Heart", the prequel, she demamded a happy ending!

Denise, let me know if you think that was too forceful. I want it to seem that Ed really has no choice in that matter due to curcumstance, not because Matt is telling him what to do.

If I have to rewrite that a bit I will, I don't want to disrespect the man!