[Galaxy] [FO & Gxy] 2 Apr 2063 :: Admiral Garroway's Offices, Earth :: "I Accept Command. I stand relieved." :: JL :: Admiral Thomas Garroway & Admiral Adrienne Sheppard

[Kate]

[FO & Gxy] 2 Apr 2163 :: Starfleet HQ, Earth :: "I accept command. I stand
relieved." :: JL :: Admiral Thomas Garroway & Admiral Adrienne Sheppard


// Admiral Garroway¹s Offices //

Commodore Adrienne Sheppard stepped into the carpeted offices of the
Fleet Command Suite. One of Admiral Garroway¹s Staff Aides greeted her
from the reception station.

³Good morning, Commodore. I think the Admiral is available. Can I offer
you something to drink?² asked Lt Rhonda Severson.

³Hot tea would be wonderful Lieutenant. Thank you,² replied Adrienne.

As the Aide stood to get the tea, she also tapped the comm on her desk,
notifying Admiral Garroway that his next appointment awaited him in the
Suite lobby.

Severson handed Sheppard the cup of tea just as the doors to the inner
office swished open, revealing the weathered, but still handsome Admiral
Thomas Garroway.

"Adrienne," Garroway smiled.  "Come in, have a seat.  We've got a few
things to discuss today.  A quick meeting, hopefully, but an important one."

The door closed silently behind the dark haired woman and she took one
of the seats Garroway offered. It was not that unusual for the Admiral
and she to converse. He was a fine leader, and an excellent mentor for
the Commodore. Still, being called to his office without a previously
announced agenda was curious, and she took a bit of a nervous sip from
her cup before setting it on her knee, taking comfort in the warmth of
the mug and the tea. "Welcome back, Admiral. Capt Henry show you a nice
cruise back from Forrest?"

"Of course," Garroway chuffed, "no one wants to be the one that didn't
give the admiral the softest pillows they could find.  Kind of annoying,
really. Anyway, let's get down to business."

As if on cue, Severson appeared with a cup of hot tea for Garroway.

"Certainly,² Adrienne agreed. ³My aide did not mention any specific agenda.
I brought a PADD, but mainly to take notes.²

"Well, Adrienne," he started, "I've been at this job a long time.
Twelve years, give or take, and I'm winding down.  In fact, that last
mission on Forrest sealed it for me.  I've got loved ones that I need to
be here for, and be closer to.  I can't do that as Starfleet Commander."

Adrienne stared at him, their blue eyes almost matching in color. She
was silent for the moment, pondering the various implications of his
frank declaration. She felt scared. She /did not/ want to loose her
mentor and commander. Her immediate reasoning was entirely selfish. They
worked so well together and as far as she was concerned, no one in line
to be his successor would be anywhere near the kind of leader, and
counselor he had been to her in her position as Fleet Operations
Officer. "Okay," she said slowly. "How can we make it more tolerable for
you."

"Take command of Starfleet," Garroway shrugged.  "I'm going to be
stepping down, moving into a position where I can still do some good,
but not have to be on call twenty-four-seven.  Suzy did it when I
stepped up to take her place, and she's loved every minute of it.  And I
don't want Vicky to grow up without me, so I'm going to fill my free
time with being a dad.  I've given Starfleet some of the best years of
my life.  Now I want to give that to my family.  Hell," he chuckled,
"maybe Suzy and I will have time to get married, now.  Who knows?"

Adrienne was choking back her disbelief. She had assumed he was joking
when he uttered "take command", but as he continued to speak, she became
aware he was quite serious about stepping down. She laughed with him
about the 'time to get married' quip, but her mind was not on wedding
bells. "Admiral, I know you're serious," she said honestly. "Maybe you
should give the trip to Forrest a little time to rest in your head
before you make this kind of decision."

"The decision is made," Garroway said.  He shook his head.  "The War has
had plenty of time to settle with me, and Forrest just drove it home.  I
keep thinking of my time on Meridian, and how nothing is the same
anymore.  Everything keeps changing, Adrienne.  Everything except me.  I
realized that on New Darwin when a good friend asked me why I kept
leaving Starfleet.  I love the 'Fleet, which is why I kept coming back,
but maybe it's time /I/ changed.  I'm not leaving Starfleet, this time,
just changing /with/ it.  And I need you to take over for me."

"I hope I'm ready," said Sheppard, as much to herself as to the Admiral.
"I guess you never know do you? You just strike out there and tread
water 'til you take that first stroke forward. I do know how to tread
water," she chuckled. "How do we do this deed?

Garroway nodded, "Just a few signatures and it's done.  I'll go to Vice
Admiral and slip into an advisory role, and you'll be promoted to the
rank befitting your new station.  Admiral Sheppard."  He held out his
hand to shake.

The new Admiral looked at Garroway's hand a bit skeptically, before
accepting the shake and moving her eyes to his. "Admiral, you have a
sneaky way of getting your way. Thank you ...I think," she smiled. "At
least I know where to find you."

Garroway smiled while shook.  "Never let them see you coming, Adrienne,"
he replied.  "And if you think you had trouble finding me /before/, just
wait until the paperwork gets filed."

"Don't forget, I'm good friends with Suzy too," she replied with a wink.

-----
Admiral Adrienne Sheppard
Starfleet Commander
The First Era 
&
VAdm Garroway, Thomas R.
Starfleet Advisor
The First Era


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.firstera.net/pipermail/galaxy-firstera.net/attachments/20130405/dab5f093/attachment-0001.htm>