Wanting Forever

Part 2

A buzzing sound pulled Effone back from the view and she reached over her head, arching her arm back to pick up the comm line on the desk. "Hello?"

"Effie, how is it?"

Effone pulled the comm device into her lap, tapped a button, and was immediately treated to the sight of her best friend, Anda Gault, on the small video screen. Anda's infectious grin animated her entire face, even making her bright blue eyes dance. The humid, salt air of her chosen vacation spot made her usually-wavy, golden-blond hair even curlier.

"It's the Northspace Grand. It's not bad, but it's not a private villa on a white sand beach in the Southern Quarter." Just the day before, Effone had gone to see her friend off on a train. Beaches weren't quite as far south as they used to be a hundred and fifty years ago, but they were warm, unlike the areas where the Chronocon usually operated.

Anda's image leaned closer to the screen. "Is the bed comfy and is there someone there to share it with?"

Effone rolled her eyes to the textured ceiling. "Anything is better than my pallet on the ship."

"Well, my bed is comfortable and occupied by this guy who brought me a drink with an umbrella. It's a lovely set-up. I may not come back to work."

"You know, you're supposed to be telling me how awful it is. Some of us aren't getting a vacation this time." No, Effone wasn't bitter at all—of course it was her own choice to accept the training.

"Oh, right." Anda shook her head and waved a hand slowly over her face, erasing the smile as she went. She stared into the camera with wide-eyed sadness. "It's the worst." Anda's frown was not convincing in the least, especially considering the large, bright red flower tucked behind her ear.

"It's cold and rainy, right? And the bar ran out of tequila?"

"Downright freezing, Effie. In fact, there's a hurricane rolling in as we speak." The view on Effone's screen momentarily changed to a bright, sunlit beach complete with white, crashing waves and people attempting to surf. "And there's nothing but non-alcoholic liquids to drink."

Effone smiled faintly. Anda always had a way of knowing how to distract her. "I'll see Admiral Kaine tomorrow," she said.

The smile Anda flashed on the screen was nearly as blinding as the sunlight behind her. "Really? Now I'm jealous. I haven't seen Pops Kaine in a long time."

"You shouldn't call him that. One of these days you're going to slip." Not that it would matter. Admiral Kaine was the reason the two women knew each other. Effone certainly thought he was the reason she'd survived her teenage years and made it through ASPECT Academy. Of the two women—girls, really, at the time—Effone had been the angrier. She'd received a lot of "tough love" from the admiral whereas Anda had gotten all the hugs. Looking back, it had been exactly what each girl needed.

There was a moment of silence while Effone chewed a fingernail—a habit she thought she disposed of long ago.

"You belong there, you know." Anda tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're the finest there is, Effie."

If she didn't know better, Effone would swear Anda was clairvoyant. "Stop reading my mind, Anda. It's not nice."

Anda scoffed, "Your eye is twitching. I maintain that I'm merely a keen observer, not a psychic."

"Right." Knowing the eye twitch was visible to others only made it worse. Effone pressed her fingers to her eye.

"You'll be fine. Don't take any of their 'I'm smarter than you, little girl' shit."

"Easier said than done."

"Not for you, it's not. You command a ship full of arrogant asses every day, Effie. Actually, I'd bet I'm harder to manage than anyone else on the crew."

Effone smirked. "There's something to that," she said.

"You know, the way to secure the respect of every man in the room is to bake cookies." Anda said, nodding confidently.

Anda loved to make ridiculous suggestions until Effone cracked a smile. It was an unspoken challenge between the two. Effone said, "I doubt 'respect' is what I'd get for baking cookies. Besides, you've seen me burn water."

"That was in chemistry, so it doesn't count." Anda tapped her lips with her fingers for a moment. "Oh, I know! Speak loudly. You should yell a lot."

"I'm not a yeller, Anda. How many times have you heard me yell?"

"Never, but I've been cut in half by your glare more times than I can count." Anda glanced off-screen for a moment. "Okay. One more suggestion, then I give up."

Effone raised her eyebrows in expectation. Anda's encores were always good.

"You need a theme song. And don't be the first to enter the room. Enter with swagger!" Anda's image on the monitor bounced away as she left her chair. When her feet hit the floor, she stood to demonstrate an exaggerated walk with her elbows sticking out to the side. She looked a lot like a foal that had been born five minutes before.

Effone surrendered and laughed. "They'll certainly notice me if I walk in like that."

"Take my advice. Don't take my advice." Anda reached out of frame and came back with a fruity-looking drink complete with umbrella. She deliberately sipped while making noises that, if Effone hadn't been watching, she would've sworn were made by someone in the middle of something private.

"What happened to the lack of tequila and overabundance of schnapps?"

"You made fun of my swagger."

Effone bit her lower lip to keep in her laughter. "I guess vacation means it's five o'clock somewhere."

"It does." Anda glanced up at the screen and placed the drink out of frame again. "And, that was an orange-banana nutrient infusion."

God, she missed her friend. Effone was perfectly capable of functioning without Anda. She'd done it in the past. But her friend's support was resolute, and Anda never let her down.

Anda's image on the screen smiled at her. "You'll be fine. Go get 'em, tiger. And grab one of those SCION hotshots while you're at it. There's no need for you to be lonely for the next two weeks."

"Right. I'll do just that because I am a walking, talking cliché."