The Protectors of the Saltire. William Speir

James said a little while later when he had a chance to call his wife.

      “That’s great, babe,” Tracy said. “I made reservations for dinner. Why don’t you get out of there, and let’s have a quiet little celebration.”

      “That sounds like a very good idea. I’ll be leaving here in the next ten minutes.”

      “See you when you get here,” Tracy said as she hung up the phone.

      James got up and put on his coat. He grabbed his briefcase and turned off the lights, letting his Administrative Assistant know that he was leaving for the night. He heard the party still going on in the library and smiled as he headed for the elevator. I should have done this years ago.

      As the elevator door opened and he stepped inside, another thought came to him. One down, one to go.

      4

      February 1, 8:30 AM

      Tom Anderson’s Office.

      “Good morning, Tom.”

      Tom looked up and saw the President of his company standing in his office doorway. Surprised, he quickly stood up to shake the man’s hand. No one from the home office was expected to be in town for several months, and Tom was both curious and concerned about the unexpected visit.

      “Good morning, sir,” he answered as his boss closed the office door and sat down. “What brings you here?”

      “Sorry for the unannounced visit, but the company is making some changes and I wanted to brief the affected staff personally before the formal announcements go out later today.”

      Tom’s pulse quickened at the words “affected staff.” Are there going to be cutbacks? Will some of my staff be let go or reassigned? Tom knew that he had been spending a lot of time with the Order, but he had been careful not to neglect his work for the company. Tom’s mind ran through the latest customer satisfaction survey results, and his region had scored very high as usual.

      Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “‘Affected staff’, sir?”

      “Yes, Tom. We’ve made a move to purchase two smaller companies that will expand our presence in Europe and give us access to some additional services that we don’t currently offer. We need to move some of our people into the control positions of these new companies, and that’s creating some opportunities here in the States for some of our key employees.”

      Tom suddenly wondered if he were being transferred to Europe. It would be a great opportunity, but it would impact Emily’s career and their work with the Order.

      Tom’s boss continued. “We’re dividing our operations into four regions: Asia-Pacific, Western Americas, Eastern Americas, and Europe-Middle East-Africa. Each operating region will be led by a Vice President, reporting directly to me, and will be divided into a number of territories, each led by a Director. The four Regional VPs, the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer, will form the company’s Executive Council. Effective immediately, assuming you accept, you’re being promoted to Vice President of Operations for the Eastern Americas Region. Your territory will run from Texas to North Dakota and everywhere east of that to the Atlantic, including the Caribbean. The Western Americas Region will cover the rest of the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Central and South America.”

      Tom was stunned. “Thank you, sir,” he finally said, still at a loss for words.

      “You more than deserve it, Tom,” his boss replied. “You’ve done an outstanding job with your current territory, and your customers think the world of you and your staff. There’s no one else I want in this position. Since your region will include Washington, D.C., the Pentagon will be your responsibility, which means you’ll be more involved in sales than before. I don’t believe for one minute that it’ll be a problem for you. People trust you, and you don’t betray their trust.”

      “I appreciate your confidence, sir. I won’t let you down. One question, though. Where will this position be located?”

      “Good question. I don’t want the leadership team based out of the home office. We need to be out in the field where we can stay close to our customers. You can be based anywhere in your region you want. It’s fine if you want to stay here, but we’ll need to get you a new office that fits with your position.”

      “Who’ll take over as Director of this territory?”

      “That’s one of the first decisions you’ll have to make.”

      “My preference would be Ralph Gardner.”

      “I expected you to choose him. That’s fine. From what you’ve told me in the past, he’s ready for the responsibilities.”

      “When can I offer him the position?”

      “Why don’t you call him in right now?”

      Tom picked up the phone and dialed Ralph’s extension. When Ralph answered, Tom said, “Can you come in here for a moment?”

      “Sure, boss. Be right there.”

      Ralph knocked on the door a minute later and stopped short when he saw Tom’s boss. “Good morning, sir,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.

      “Good morning, Ralph. Come in,” he said to Ralph, motioning to the empty seat next to him.

      Ralph closed the door behind him and sat down with a curious expression on his face.

      “Ralph,” Tom’s boss began, “we’re making some changes around here. I’ll let Tom tell you about them.”

      Tom explained to Ralph about the acquisitions and the restructuring of the company into four large operating regions, each broken out into territories. “I’ve been offered leadership of the Eastern Americas Region, so I need to find someone to handle this territory for me. I want that person to be you.”

      “You want me to take your job?” Ralph said with surprise.

      “Absolutely,” Tom replied. “I’ve been giving you more and more responsibility around here, and you’ve handled it very well. I think you’re ready for the next step in your career. There’s no one I trust more to handle this job.”

      Ralph saw Tom’s boss nodding in agreement. “Wow, thanks, boss! I accept!” he said. “When is this change taking place?”

      “Immediately,” Tom’s boss answered. “We’re informing the staff at nine o’clock. Congratulations, Ralph,” he said, holding out his hand.

      Ralph shook his hand and then shook Tom’s. The three men stood up. “Give me a minute to update the presentation slides in my computer, and then let’s get the troops together,” Tom’s boss said as he opened the office door.

      A few minutes later, the staff was assembled in one of the larger classrooms. Video conferencing had been set up for the other sites in Ralph’s new territory so all employees would hear the announcement at the same time. Tom’s boss did the talking, explaining the details of the acquisitions and the restructuring of the company. He projected the new organization chart on the wall via a micro-projector connected to his laptop, and there was applause when Tom’s name appeared on the Leadership Council as one of the Regional VPs. There was more applause when the territory organization chart was shared, showing that Ralph was taking Tom’s old position. Tom and Ralph grinned at the response, grateful that they had a highly motivated and loyal staff.

      After the meeting, Tom’s boss asked if he could speak to Tom again. They went back to Tom’s office and sat down.

      “Tom, there’s something else I need you to do for me.”

      “Sure. What is it?” Tom replied.

      “This spring, there’s an annual military trade show, conference, and expo called ‘Tower.’ It’s the largest trade show in the defense industry.