----- Dipper rises early to speak with the XO and resign...with unexpected results.
----- I borrowed the name of the XO from Starship Troopers as well. I was simply going to have him give Dipper a swift kick in the pants and a pep talk, but then...I thought...what if...and the whole story of how Dipper's father got injured in Afghanistan came to mind. Adding in Frankel was easy, and I fully expect those who had been following the story to go, "Hey wait...this sounds familiar..." But it would give Frankel's pep talk and reprimand, and swift kick in the pants much more weight.
Oh, and the appearance of The Flower Girl is very important as you will see later. Had she not appeared, Dipper WOULD have resigned. And miss out on...well...you'll see.
david31, 
