It's Friday.

Yeah, I know. What kind of a post title is that?! Let's just say I'm being super lazy and I don't want to have to think up a better one. :P
I hope your week has been good! We've had an amazing week! Yesterday it got up to 77 degrees here in KS. It was windy, and sunny, and perfect. And defiantly not the usual February weather. We have had an extremely mild winter this year, which has been awesome! I don't particularly like the cold. ;)

I was also to get quite a bit of editing done this past week. I've been putting off editing A Question of Honor ever since I "finished" it November.
Not only did The Silent Blade take up a lot of my time, I honestly didn't know what I wanted to do with it. 
Well, I got inspired this past week, and I finally figured out what I wanted to do. I also found an amazing soundtrack that I've been listening to every. Single. Day. And I've been driving everyone in my family crazy with it. ;P
Between the soundtrack and the help of a very persistent friend, I have managed to get the first 20,000 words  of A Question of Honor edited. *dances around the room* In case you haven't guessed, editing is not my favorite thing to do!

Today I thought I'd share the first part of A Question of Honor with you guys.  Let me know what ya think! :)

David hoisted himself up on the wing of the single-seater fighter, and then settled himself inside the cockpit.

He adjusted the headset before putting it on, and starting the engine. He was confident the plane was in top shape, but he always enjoyed the test runs. While the U.S hadn’t entered the war, newer planes were being produced for training. It was his job to test them before they got sent to the U.S Air Corps airfields.

“Hey, David. You up?”

Well, not only his job. It was his job. . .and Gil’s.

David turned the plane and taxied down the runway. “Not yet. You  up?”
“Oh yeah. Up first, as usual.”

David grinned at the teasing note in his friend’s voice. “How are you enjoying the plane?”

A whistle sounded across the headset. “It’s one of the smoothest rides I’ve had. Seriously, I could get used to flyin’ these things.”

“Alright, I’m up.” The wheels of David’s plane left the ground and the sleek fighter made its way up into the clouds.

“Hey, Dave.”

David checked the gauges in front of him. Everything looked normal, just as he had expected. “Yeah?”
“Keep a sharp lookout to your left.”

David turned and looked in the direction Gil had indicated. A dark plane, identical to his own, headed straight toward him. 
“Gil, this is not a good idea.”

Gil chuckled. “These are fighters. Let’s test ‘em out.”

Despite his better judgement, a thrill of excitement coursed through David. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Oh, yeah. Now you’re talking.”

The smile was evident in Gil’s voice and David grinned. Gil was always ready for a challenge, and he almost always succeeded in taking David along with him.

“I’m coming at you.”

David clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the controls as Gil’s plane quickly closed the gap between them. At the last moment, David turned his plane slightly to the right, and gained another twenty feet in altitude. Gil’s plane flew directly under him, missing him only by a couple feet.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Gil’s voice was excited. “These babies are quite the machines.”

David silently agreed with him. “Alright, they’re obviously in tip-top condition. Let’s head back.”

“Not quite yet. Come on now, Dave. I’m headed straight toward you. Let’s play chicken.”

“Gil, this isn’t the farm and we’re not up in gliders. I’m not playing chicken.”

“Yes you are. Come on, now.”

David sighed and gave in. “Which way are you going?”

“Left. We’re going left. Don’t break yet.”

The two planes flew toward each other.

“Not yet.” Gil’s voice was focused.

David kept the plane in a straight line, heading on course to crash into Gil.

“Alright, now!”

At last minute both pilots turned the planes and the neatly flew past each other.

“Oh, yeah. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Come on, Dave. Tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I didn’t enjoy it.”

“Right. Now be honest.”

“Exhilarating.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now come on, let's get machines down.”

David shook his head with a smile as he followed Gil back toward the runway.

***

“Hey, look at this.”

David glanced up from the tool bench as Gil tossed the article onto the splintered wood in front of him. His eyes quickly read the headline. France Overrun; Paris falls into German hands.

“So it’s happened then.”

Gil nodded. ‘“You know what that means? It means that the English channel and Britain are the only things that stand between Hitler having all of Western Europe in his control.”

David eyed his friend. They had grown up together, and neither had ever been able to hide their feelings from the other,. It was that way now. Gil’s eyes held a glint that made David feel uneasy. “What are you planning, Gil?”

“What am I planning? I’m planning on making my way to England and signing up to fly one of those Spits.”

“Your serious?”

“I am. I’ve already handed in my resignation at the factory. I’ll leave in three weeks.”

Silence fell between the two men, and for a moment the only sound to be heard was the pesky flies that flew around the shop. 
David knew this wasn’t anything new; Gil had been wrestling with the idea for the past several months, and David knew it had only been a matter of time. “What about Lily?”

Gil’s face softened at the mention of his wife of only three months. “She wants me to go wherever God calls. And we both feel that He’s calling me to Europe.”

“Alright. Then I’m coming with you.” 
Gil started to protest, but David held up a hand. “Elaine and I have already talked it over. We’re going to be married next weekend. She knew you were planning on going overseas when this happened." He waved a hand at the newspaper article. "And she knows that if you go, I go too. We’ve already talked about it. “Besides,” a smile entered David’s eyes. “You need someone to keep you out of trouble.”

Gil was quiet for a moment. “There no way I can convince you otherwise, is there?”

David shook his head. “No. We’ve always flown together. I’m not letting you go anywhere without me. But aside from that, I believe God’s calling me there as well. Elaine and I have talked and prayed about it for several weeks. This only confirms it.”

Gil nodded. “Alright, then.” He clapped David on the shoulder. “Those German’s better watch out. They don’t know what they’re in for with two Americans heading at them.”