They were pissed. Dar, viewing it dispassionately, could not blame them. It was one thing for a CEO to be resigning – quite another for them to be losing at the same time the senior structure of her operations group.
The screen flickered, then resolved, and one after the other, the board members appeared in their separate squares. Dar kept her hands folded and her mouth shut, having little to report at this the first meeting of the new year. The Houston video center appeared last, with Alastair just dropping into a seat that was the mirror of the one she was in, giving her a wry wink as he rested his elbows on the conference table there.
“Good morning, or good afternoon, all.” Alastair said, after a moment of silence. “Everyone on?”
The group muttered assent, from their sedate squares. They had only recently started using the upgraded video conferencing system, put in place after the September 11th crisis. Dar wasn't at all sure she liked it, really preferring the ability to sprawl at her desk on voice only, free to roll her eyes or make rude gestures without giving offense.
“Okay.” Alastair said, shuffling some papers. “This'll be a short meeting, since we're just back from holidays. The accounting group has advised me that year end closing is well underway, and preliminary numbers look all right. We haven't seen the impact of contract alterations from September, that will probably not really hit until end of first or second quarter.”
“You'll be gone. Why even care?” One of the board members asked, shortly.
Alastair looked mildly at him. “Because until I do walk out the door for the last time, I'm the CEO of the company. I care because that's my job.” He said. “I'm sorry it's all twisting your shorts that I've decided to retire after almost being railroaded on your behalf, but there ya go.”
“Alastair, that's not true.” The man protested.
“John, it is.” Alastair corrected him gently. “All the after the fact revisionist history doesn't make that different. I'm not mad about it, I just want to enjoy my life for a while. That so hard to understand? None of you were there. No one was standing next to me when all those Secret Service men were hovering, ready to grab my elbow and you all agreed it was right and appropriate for me to take the fall. No harm, fellas. I'm a big boy, and it was my call.”
Dar cleared her throat.
“All right, I got to stand there and it was really Dar's call.” The CEO smiled at her. “But anyway, this'll be a short meeting. So let's let me finish with my comments and we can do a round table.”
Dar laced her fingers together and simply waited for her turn, having already been to the December board meeting and dealt with the outrage in person of the people on the screen in front of her. They could, and would continue griping but now, hearing the muttering, her half formed idea of retracting her resignation seemed craven and candy assed to her.
What in the hell had she been thinking?
What really had been behind that impulsive urge to turn around and stay?
“Operations”
Dar looked up. “Kerry and I will be in Washington end of the week. I have meetings scheduled with both the Joint Chief's office, and the presidents advisory board.” She paused briefly. “In terms of the Pentagon, General Easton has advised me that the job scope we were engaged in prior to the attacks has been expanded. It remains to be seen exactly how expanded, but it appears at this time to be a four or five fold increase.”
More mutters, but less negative. “That'll end up being a huge contract.” John Baker said, distracted from his annoyance at Alastair.
“It will.” Alastair agreed. “I've had the personnel group here keeping in close touch with Dar. I think we're looking at establishing a major hub in Maryland to support the effort, we can't run it out of the existing one. Too small.”
“In terms of the advisory board - “ Dar paused again. “At this point, I don't know exactly what that request is going to be. I do intend on presenting them with a bill for the last thing they asked us to do.”
Small, crabbed smiles appeared. But Baker cleared his throat. “Dar, did they ask for us, or for you?” He inquired bluntly. “Seemed to me the last time it had very little to do with us.”
“Ah yes.” Jacques Despin nodded. “But of course, the resources they demanded were ours, not our esteemed colleagues.”
Dar nodded. “He asked for me because someone told him my name, but what I committed were company resources and efforts. Same as for the City of New York.”
“So what's going to happen when you tell him you're leaving?” Baker asked. “And, that you can't even tell him who he'll be talking to when you're gone?”
There was a more significant silence. Dar unfolded her hands and lifted them, then let them drop to the table. “I guess we'll find out.” She said. “It could matter to him, and it could matter to Gerry Easton. Or maybe it wont', and they just want to get things done.”
More mutters
“Look.” Dar said. “I'm not going to apologize, just like Alastair isn't for wanting to take possession of my own life. You can all go kiss my ass. The only thing I ever got from this board is bullshit and a lot of happiness in having us, meaning me and him” Dar pointed at Alastair. “Take the fall for everyone else. Screw off.”
Alastair smiled fondly at her. “Ahh.. now that's my Dar.”
“You've been adequately compensated.” Baker said, stiffly. “You get paid well for what you do, Roberts.”
“Do I?” Dar said. “We walked into both New York and Washington with the possibility of dying. What's that worth? How many people working there are going to end up paying for that in years to come? What's that worth? What's Kerry's broken ribs worth? You think anything in my bank account can cover that?”
The board looked uneasily at her.
“It's never been about money for me.” Dar said, after a long pause. “I just want to take myself, and my family, and do something else. If that causes you inconvenience, too fucking bad.”
“Look.” Baker held up a conciliatory hand. “Dar, we all know what you've meant to this company, and our bottom line. So the frustration is not at you, it's just we have to figure out how we're going to rearrange things and not get hung out to dry by our shareholders. You know?”
“I know.” Dar simmered down, feeling her virtual hackles settle. “We want to make this a successful handover. I have a lot people in this organization I feel responsible for. No one wants to screw anyone.”
“We done with that subject?” Alastair took control of the meeting again. “Dar, thanks for going to Washington on our behalf. Just get what information you can, and try not to project the future to them, if you get me.”
Dar considered that. “For the advisory board, sure. But Gerry's a family friend. I'm not going to lie to him.” She said. “I think he's worked with us – meaning ILS – enough to have confidence that we'll deliver what we promise regardless of who sits in my chair.”
The look of doubt was, in a way, a backhanded compliment and Dar acknowledged that. Despite her contentious relationship with the governing board, she knew that they knew that when it came to delivering on promises, she was rock solid reliable and always had been.
So she got that they were upset and angry at having to trade that for an unknown. “Hey.” She spoke up. “Maybe whoever takes my place'll play golf and smoke cigars with you all. And not tell you to kiss their ass. Could end up being a good thing. You never know.”
Alastair chuckled dryly. “You never know. Now. Pier? I heard we have some new leads in Africa. Wanna fill us in?”
The meeting stumbled on. Dar exhaled, picking up her new gizmo and glancing at it, then tapping the screen to display the message she saw waiting there.