Discounted rates? Absolutely legit - yes; even in Las Vegas - Nellis itself is why. (There are also "ferry flights" out of McCarron to Nellis on a daily basis; if you fly out of McCarron "at all", you will notice them.) Further, in the winter - outside of "baking season" - Las Vegas hosts many MANY conventions - remember, CES is held there. Thanksgiving weekend - which is between "baking season" and "convention season" - which starts after Christmas - is when I myself have gone. "Baking season" - summer; the hottest time of the year. "Convention season" - jacked-up room rates; thus Thanksgiving weekend is the best time to go, despite being a mere four days.

Andrea Price and Pat O'Day (USSS and FBI, respectively) meet earlier than canon Ryanverse - but do meet. (In fact, Andrea ran Ryan's Detail - while Pat O'Day was the Inspector that caught the case where the then-President and several other government officials got roasted in the Capitol Building when a JAL pilot suicided by crashing his airliner into it. They married at the tailchase of "Executive Orders".) Andrea has a TON of "Ellie" in her; she is a major character in "Debt of Honor" - as is O'Day.
Not only was I a BIG Tom Clancy fan, I met him well before his death; he made a point of visiting libraries throughout Maryland during his rise to well-deserved superstardom. (In addition, I have both "Debt of Honor" and "Executive Orders" in my own library- in hardcover.)

Cathy Ryan is a trained eye surgeon; at this point, she was just getting started on driving a laser around the eyeball at Wilmer Eye Center at Johns Hopkins; at this point, she was still mostly using old-fashioned surgical knives. (She was good with them as well - as are most of Wilmer's eye surgeons - if you want the best in eye surgery on the planet, Wilmer is where to go.) I wasn't referring to the Ryanverse in talking about Wilmer, either; I've been dealing with them - and their graduates - since 1967. Do the Google-fu on them.

"Cardinal" was smuggled out with the help of the Foleys; in atypical fashion, it was Mary Pat (the wife) that was the operator; her husband was the analyst - that role-flip sound familiar?

Someone did their homework - it's all legit. (There is nothing roadblocking a Deputy United States Marshal from deputizing members of the United States armed forces; in fact, it was done a LOT in the nineteenth century - while the Posse Comitatus Act was passed in partial response to this, it did NOT make the practice illegal thanks to that loophole. And there was a specific reason FOR said loophole - one Pancho Villa.)

Apparently, the Fairy Godmother Department finally found Chuck - who is now on his way to OCS. (Yes; the quote is from a book by the late Robert Anson Heinlein - can any smart-alec name the book?)

This was how Ryan wound up with a broke back - and was invalided out of the Corps (absolutely canon for Jack Ryan). Plugging Chuck in here thus does NOT invalidate Ryan canon one whit.

This O'Brien is a Jesuit (no relation to Miles) - and ALSO a refugee from the Jack Ryan series. (After his tour was up, he would later wind up at Georgetown University - where he would get re-acquainted with Jack Ryan.) A Jesuit chaplain? Not far fetched at all; what is the motto of the Jesuits? (Please; any Jack Ryan fan should know it - "Men for Others". While Georgetown University has the LARGEST connection to the Society of Jesus; it's not the only one; there is, naturally, a connection via the Catholic University of America (also in Washington, DC) and Boston College (Ryan's alma mater).)

That back injury is what led first to Ryan heading to the CIA (as a contract employee), then to his teaching career.

Holy crap on a cracker. Nice spin and intro to the next story arc. Nicely done.

You put Cardinal in there. But you have the Foleys so their main asset should be there as well. I love your writing and this Chick/Clancy crossover idea is awesome, especially how I am an avid fan of both. Great job so far, looking forward to finishing.

Any news as to when the sequel is due?

WTH with that twist, Dude?! You have to write your sequel, I have to see the full O/F/V arc, especially once they find out who the Human Intersect is.

Interesting chapter and plot and idea

WOW. For real! I loved the concept of this and it was written in a realistic way. Great job! The summary of this story alone got me hooked.