#6 - Less For His Plan
"A dreamer, a good man, a kind man who cared less for his plan than for the people in it."
Orson Scott Card's Hart's Hope
Takes place midway through part 2 of "Socii" or so.
"So," Sheppard asks, dragging a chair over from across the room, "how do I go about promoting Lieutenant Cadman?"
Evan looks up from his paperwork, surprised. The surprise isn't so much because of Sheppard wanting to promote Laura – with the minor exception of her actions while sharing Doctor McKay's body, the Colonel's been nothing but glowing in his praise for the Marine – but because of his presence. Granted, Evan has set up his own desk in the outer room of Sheppard's offices, but he's never actually seen the other man in them before now. Which is saying something, as Evan sometimes feels he lives in this room whenever he's not off-world, doing paperwork and whatnot that his CO can't be bothered to do. Not that he's complaining. It's the same mess he'd have to do at any duty station, but here at least he gets a window and a hell of view while doing it.
But, still, he has to ask, "You want to promote her? Might be hard, considering she just shot Colonel Caldwell."
"He had a goa'uld in him," Sheppard says casually, literally waving the question off as he straddles his chair. "He'll be fine. 'Sides, that's one of the reasons I want her promoted. Shooting a superior officer? It takes chutzpah."
"Chutzpah," he repeats disbelievingly.
"Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, Lieutenant Pritchard is a good guy, but I think 'Lantis would stand a better chance if something happened to us and Cadman was third-in-command instead of Pritchard. She loves Atlantis, is decent with people, and is willing to do what's necessary to protect them both, which is what we need at the moment."
"I wasn't arguing with you," Evan says, shifting in his chair. "I just want to know where you picked up a work like chutzpah."
"You'll be surprised what you can learn when people don't think you can understand them," the Ancient says obliquely, barely managing to keep a sly grin off his face. "So, you agree."
"Completely, though I'm not sure she has the time-in-grade to qualify for captain. I'll have to look that up..." He starts to do just that, pulling up the records they'll need on his computer, when a thought strikes him. "This mean if shoot you, I'll get a promotion too?"
The Colonel actually appears to think about it. Then, "You're a good officer, good at what you do, and, more importantly, 'Lantis likes you. Despite that, though, I don't think they'll let me keep you if we're both lieutenant colonels, so you'll just have to wait until they get around to making me full colonel to get that next promotion. That going to be a problem?"
Evan blinks at this. "Er, no sir?" he says somewhat dazedly, 'cause, really, what else is there he can say? Atlantis is the posting of a lifetime, and if Sheppard's willing to go to lengths to keep him here, well, he's not going to argue, particularly if it puts him on the career fast-track. Though, when it comes to Atlantis, he'd almost be willing to be bumped back down to lieutenant himself if it means he'd get to keep this post.
Sheppard just grins at him, as if he knows exactly what Evan's thinking, and raps his knuckles on a bare patch of desk. "Don't worry, Major: I've got plans for you. First, though, let's get Lieutenant Cadman squared away. Okay?"