Wanting Forever

Part 3

The morning brought Effone down to the conference center, and as she explained how to pronounce her name once again, she tugged at the neckline of her uniform. For whatever reason, the tight-fitting knit shirt was choking her. Or it might've been the mild panic. Not that she was about to admit to any kind of panic. She'd stared death in the face more than once, whether it be the flaming inferno of a crashing airship, the possibility of mercenaries infiltrating the ship for its cargo, or the very real threat of being attacked and left for dead. This training session was nothing in comparison.

Effone poked her head inside the meeting room. It was oval-shaped, with an oval table mostly filling the space. Everything was some version of beige. Imagination must not have been the designer's strong suit. At least external distractions would be kept to a minimum. Maybe that was the point.

In the pre-function area she glanced over the breakfast offerings and carefully selected a bright yellow banana, then slipped another into a pocket. Fresh fruit was a luxury on her ship. Fresh anything was a luxury. Airships had to maintain a delicate balance between buoyancy and payload. If it wasn't necessary, it didn't go on board.

She continued along the buffet, savoring the colors with her eyes. It wasn't until now that she realized just how drab her work life really was. Airships were grey. The interiors were also grey. They didn't have...her lips parted in surprise and wonder when she came to the juice station.

"Orange juice, please," she said, her tone almost reverent. Freshly squeezed, from a jewel-toned orange the waiter cut right in front of her. If she could ever tear herself from this magical place, it would be a miracle.

Effone placed her glass of orange juice and the bananas next to the table tent with her name on it and went back to the breakfast spread to grab a giant muffin. The muffins were bigger than her hand, studded with fruit and nuts, and coated with crusty sugar. Effone wiped a hand across her chin just in case of drool.

She moved back into the meeting room, relieved to see that Admiral Kaine had arrived.

Admiral Lawson Kaine had been the man to save her from the streets—and to some extent, from herself. She'd known him since she was sixteen, when he'd convinced her to attend ASPECT Academy, and then helped her stay. He'd easily filled the hole in Effone's life where a father should have been when she'd been a lost, angry sixteen-year-old girl. His wife, Lisette, just as easily filled the hole where her mother should have been. This woman had taken on the responsibility of not just one, but two abandoned, abused teenage girls, and while neither one of them were completely whole, both Effone and Anda were much better for the mothering they'd gotten from Lisette.

Effone took a deep, steadying breath, and then stood when Admiral Kaine moved in her direction. The hug they shared was brief, but firm.

"Captain Pacifica," he said, "I realize this isn't a sandy beach."

Effone waved a hand dismissively. "Sandy beaches are overrated." It could be true.

The sound of the older man's chuckle was a welcome comfort. It brought back memories of when she and Anda had spent all breaks from the academy with the admiral and his wife. The two girls had nowhere else to go.

"I'm almost positive you're going to enjoy yourself," Admiral Kaine said. "Everyone in this room is as dedicated as you. Your SCION partner is not going to disappoint."

"Partner?" But Effone didn't get to ask anything further because Admiral Kaine was pulled away.

There had been no mention of partners. This might not be good. Effone didn't work well with others—not ones she hadn't personally vetted.

While mulling the problems a partner could bring, she bit into her muffin and savored the taste of dried cranberries and rich, dark vanilla while openly surveying the SCION captains. This was the kind of food she dreamed of when away on assignments for the company. She could only get it here in the city and even then it could be either hard to find or outrageously expensive.

Around her, every person in the room proudly wore the uniform of their respective company. The ASPECT captains were in tight compression-wear, with jackets bearing various company logos and insignia down the arms. The SCION captains always looked particularly dapper in much more formal navy blue, double-breasted uniforms with spectacularly shiny silver buttons. Which one of these men was she going to get paired with, and how fast could she learn everything about him? Most of them were at least a decade her senior and they all carried themselves with easy assurance. A lot of them glanced at her with as much interest as they'd give a secretary.

Correction.

Less interest.

At each chair was a paper table tent with the name of an attendee printed on it. Under the name was the ship they currently commanded, and under that was the listing of every commendation earned since starting at their respective academies. She was glad to see she was no slouch compared to the people on either side of her. The chair across from her still sat empty, but the nameplate was as impressive as anyone else's. She was studying the stranger's information and had just come to the end of the commendation list when the paper triangle moved, caught up in the fingers of the man she presumed to be the owner.

Her eyes followed the nameplate up. And up. Sheesh. The man had to be at least six-three. His eyes were focused on the paper he held until they slipped over the top and engaged hers. Their glittering ocean-blue color almost made her forget to keep her jaw closed.

He gave her a slight smile. "Sorry, were you reading that?"

Effone shrugged and then she waved a muffin-filled hand at the nameplate. Nonchalant was good. She could do nonchalant. "It was there."

"You were studying the competition," he said with a grin that popped out dimples.

Shit. Why did he have to have dimples? "That, too," she said, feeling a heat rise in her cheeks.

Was it getting hot in this room? How was that possible? Effone took a sip of her juice and counted to five, then reminded herself that she was here for work and only work. While finding someone to waste the hours with as Anda had suggested might be fun, and a good way to blow off some stress, it would also make everything complicated.

Uncomplicated was good.