JL | RAdm Cintia Sha'mer & VAdm. Scholtz-Archer | "Show Me The Money"

Posted on 241709.14 @ 8:18pm by Admiral Sabine Scholtz-Archer & Rear Admiral Cintia Sha'mer

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]

Sha'mer sat on the porch, looking out over the sea to her right and the distant city to her left. It wasn't long since Indi had left, judging by simple things like the height of the sun. With her own time sense so unreliable, whole hours sometimes seem to go missing, Sha'mer had to rely on either a chrono or on little clues like these, and she wasn't carrying a chrono right now. The only thing she had brought out was a book, which was now resting in her lap, open but ignored. Random thoughts skittered along the surface of her mind, few remained long enough to make an impression. She was still coasting, still unmoored, in a limbo: cut loose from one place, but not yet fully attached to another.

A sound from inside the house drew her attention, though it took her a moment or two to place it: the comm console. A wry smile twisted Sha'mers face. It was probably – no, most likely – for Indi. It usually was. It was tempting to ignore it, getting up was still a hassle and she was perfectly fine where she was.

The console kept on beeping insistently. "Alright, alright," Sha'mer muttered. "I’m coming." She dragged herself up and made her slow way inside, touched the console irritatedly. "Admiral Hawk is in Spacedock." She began to speak before the picture had formed, but frowned when she recognised the face. Surely, if the Vice Admiral wanted to talk to Indi, she would've hailed her directly?

"Good to know, Admiral Sha'mer, but I'm not presently interested in speaking with Admiral Hawk," Sabine replied with an amused smile. Usually people greeted with a 'hello' at the minimum, but not Cintia Sha'mer. The woman ran on a different track entirely, and Sabine was beginning to catch on - at least a little... Enough not to be insulted or cross, "I'm calling to speak with you, to discuss a matter of importance that I'm sure you'll be interested in." it was her turn to be contrary, toying with the edge of a PADD that was sat just off screen, "If I'm wrong about that interest," she drawled in that sweet, slow Southern style of hers, "then you can feel free to tell me to take a hike and we'll leave it at that." The amusement had finally reached her eyes, speaking volumes about her mood as she spoke.

Sha'mer raised an eyebrow. That did not sound like either a dressing down or an 'okay, so what was that business with the exploding tree a back then?'. Though she had little doubt that that last bit would make an appearance somewhere during the conversation. "Alright," she said slowly. "In person, I take it?"

"I'd prefer it that way." Sabine nodded, "My schedule is open for whenever you think you can make it here."

Sha'mer suppressed a snort. Her own schedule was non-existent. Well, it appeared that was about to change. "Let me know when you're available and I'll be there. Right now is possible, unless you want me in uniform – that would add a couple of minutes."

A shake of her perfectly coiffed strawberry blonde head should have said it all, but the need to verbally express her needs and thoughts had been drilled deep into her head over years of command and parenthood, "Don't worry about the uniform, Admiral, just make your way here."

Sha'mer gave a brisk nod, bordering on curt. "One moment, then," she said and broke the link. She smirked at herself – it was tempting to ignore the transporter tiles outside and just use her own personal means. But she had enough sense to realise that after the tree incident, just simply plopping in unannounced in front of the Admiral's door would set off all kind of alarm bells – not to mention it would probably be quite upsetting for others. No need to rock the boat.

So, sighing, she went outside, made her way down the few steps and murmured a transporter order. Not much later she arrived in front of what was becoming a somewhat familiar door, and touched the chime.

"Come!" Sabine called from behind her mahogany desk, rising to step around and greet her guest. There were big things to come, big things to speak of, and a future to work through.

Well, this was at least somewhat better than the previous visits. She wasn't dragged in here, for one, or stumbling after someone else and hoping desperately not to fall, for another. This time, she even had the chance to look around before focusing on the person behind the desk. A nice, roomy office, pretty view (pity about the blasted stump). "Admiral," Sha'mer murmured as the door closed behind her, and nodded her head in a polite greeting of sorts.

"Have a seat. This is becoming a bit routine for us, so I'll stick with the script and ask if you'd like a drink or something to eat." The strawberry blonde chuckled, a genuine good mood hanging around her in an aura of sunshine against the early autumn leaking through the windows behind her.

Sha'mer made her way across the room and settled in one of the chairs at the other side of the desk, with no more than a casual glance at the (now gleamingly clean, again) couch. She answered with a smile. "A raktajino would be nice. Extra strong, extra sweet." She rarely ate breakfast, usually the raktajino sufficed in the morning.

With a nod, Sabine made her way over to the replicator and conjured up the order, "You remind me of myself in a couple ways, Admiral... I can't say that I've ever been through what you've been through, but there are certain similarities with personality and definitely our taste in beverages." She grinned, taking the two mugs and making her way back over to her desk, "Strong and sweet are the only way to go. Too bitter otherwise." A hand extended to offer a mug to the other woman.

"Indeed." Sha'mer grinned back, briefly, as she accepted the cup. She wrapped her hands around it, feeling it warming her. This – all of this – seemed so heartbreakingly familiar in one respect, bringing back memories of another planet on another office, with a similar view, a similar desk (huge desks were great for stacking piles and piles of padds). At the same time, it was so utterly alien, worlds and lightyears away from that life she'd lead the past few years, the life she could but half remember… she shivered despite the warmth.

"How are you feeling? That's probably the best place to start before we go any further." Sabine asked as she retook her seat and enjoyed a sip of her raktajino. It was heaven in a mug as far as she was concerned.

'How are you feeling?' Such a simple question. Four words. So many meanings. How to reply? Most of the time, Sha'mer didn't feel anything. Hollow. Empty. Somehow, that did not seem to be the required answer, or the most appropriate one. She was not hungry, not tired, not depressed- "Fine," she replied after a brief pause.

"Glad to see you can still sugar coat things, Admiral, sometimes I think that's the Starfleet motto." Amused, the southern woman drawled in her succinctly Antebellum fashion and crossed her legs. The mug of raktajino was set down, her hands folded in front of her as her elbows met the arms of her chair, "I think you know why I called you here, Admiral. You're a clever woman and you, by now, know that Starfleet is hurting for Admiralty and more importantly, a chief of operations." The cards were set, spread out over the table, "I think you've also deduced that I intend to give you the position now that I've brought it up. The question becomes whether or not you accept it."

And there it was. Offer made. Just how desperate was Starfleet, anyway? How desperate did they have to be for Sabine to consider her? She had to know, they had to know, that Sha'mer was damaged goods. She raised an eyebrow. "Just what exactly does this position entail?" she asked. Her voice remained smooth and level, as always. Sha'mer had excellent emotional control.

"It'd more or less be your job to keep track of the ships coming and going and tracking maintenance, so on and so forth." Sabine replied, "You'd have your own office, likely up on Earth Spacedock and all the privileges your rank and such a position would require."

Boring, padd-pushing work, in other words. Perfect for shunting people to whom you can't risk in more active positions. Maybe they were that desperate. And maybe they did have a pretty good idea of Sha'mers state. But she could hardly expect to be sent out into the field again, in a more active position. "I take it I don't have to make my decision on the spot?" she replied.

The redhead's head shook, "No, you don't have to make one right this second, but we'd appreciate an answer sometime in the next week."

Sha'mer smiled, but not with her eyes. "I was not planning to deliberate for years." Then even that smile faded and she became all businesslike again. "But thank you, Admiral, I appreciate the offer." She gathered the crutches and rose with some effort. "I know you're a busy person, so I'll cut this short. But I'll let you know of my decision soon."

"Please do," The redhead returned the smile, "I look forward to hearing from you either way. Have a good day, Admiral Sha'mer."

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Vice Admiral Sabine Scholtz
Commanding Officer
Alpha Quadrant
Starfleet

Rear Admiral Cinta Sha'mer
Starfleet