Editing Eternity (Warhammer High) (section)

=== Back From the War ===

 
Jake swung the door of his home open and stared.  The man on his stoop was a stranger.

He was dressed in a layered yellow and grey tunic that looked recently-pressed.  He had a silver Power Sword clasped at his flank, with a compact Hellpistol in a holster on the other side.  The grips on both showed ample wear.  Despite being Jake’s own age, the man looked about twenty years older.

“Holy shit,” Julius Pius said.  “What happened to your eyes?”

Jake sipped at his tequila in the kitchen as Julius recounted a few stories from his time with the Geno.  “My assistants are a bit slow on the uptake, but they’re both excellent soldiers, no question of that,” Julius said.  He fingered his left elbow, staring into the past.  “Nearly lost an arm in one fight, but my batman, Baldgin, he saved me.”

“Wow,” Venus said.  “Did you have to get an augmetic?”

“No,” Julius sighed, rolling up his sleeve.  Jake winced at the red loop around his arm. The angle of the cut showed it had gone straight through to the bone. “But I did get a tiny, temporary implant just to monitor the wound.  Make sure it worked when we added bone grafts and synthflesh on there so it didn’t go septic and didn’t give me leukemia or something.”

Jake shivered.  “I’m glad you’re okay, though.”

“Thanks, Jake,” Julius said, leaning back with a sigh.  “Let’s not make this all about me, though.  How have you two been?”

“Well, you can see I took a trip to the body shop,” Jake quipped, waving a hand in the air.  “I’m banking on the fact that I was completely obscure and unimportant before marrying into the Royal Family to hide that I’m looking so different,” he said brightly.

Julius shook his head.  As much as the cynical part of him wanted to feel scorn at the flippantness of Jake’s approach to something so life-altering, he could also hear the faintest trace of relief in his friend’s voice.  Jake was masking a buried concern with levity.  He could hardly be hypocritical enough to call the young Prince on that.  Goodness knows he had seen some terrible things in the interim, too.  Briefly, he hazarded a guess as to what could have gone wrong with Jake’s ‘trip to the body shop,’ and pushed them back.  The man deserved some privacy.

Either Jake noticed his friend’s buried reaction and ignored it, or he missed it.  “Really, you’re lucky you caught us,” Jake said.  “We’re moving back home to Nocturne for a few years soon, so that we can really start getting involved in the leadership there.”

“Hmm.  ‘Back’ home,” Julius noted.  “You spend more time on Nocturne than Terra now, I take it?”

Venus shrugged.  “That was always the plan,” she said.  “You know, if your company gets shipped by, feel free to drop in.  Our door’s always open to you.  Both of them,” she added with a grin.

Julius shifted his shoulders in relief.  That, at least, was something for which his war-hardened soul had hoped.  “And I’m happy and grateful to hear it, Venus,” he said.

Jake sighed dramatically, lifting an oven mitt from the table.  “I’m gonna plod back into the kitchen now,” he said heavily.

Julius watched as Jake rose from his chair to glance over the cooking meal in the kitchen.  “You two look good married,” he said.

Venus beamed.  “Thanks.  I think so too.”

Julius nearly added ‘But then, everything looks good after three and a half years of non-stop trench fighting,’ and caught himself with the words on his lips.  Best not to sound ungrateful.

“But then, I bet everything looks good after time in the trenches, doesn’t it?” Venus asked.  She caught his sudden sharp glance and smiled gently.

Julius stared, feeling a slight grin return to his lips.  “It certainly does.  Thanks.”  He looked over to where Jake was working in the other room.  “May I ask you a personal question?” he inquired politely.

“Sure,” Venus said.

“What did your father think of a mortal marrying into the family?” he asked.

“He was all for it,” Venus said.  “Dad always said that he would support us if we decided to tie the knot.  And just between you, me, and the walls,” she added, leaning forward conspiratorially, “we’re going to try for a child soon.”

Julius stared over at Jake.  “Er.  Is that…possible?” he asked gingerly.

“One of the perks of my new frame and chassis,” Jake said from the other room.  “Along with enhanced senses and a few other bonuses,” he added, returning with the tequila bottle in his hand.

“I see.”  Julius was glad he had halted his earlier inquiries.  “Well…good on you both,” he said.  “I confess that I’ve entertained the notion of leaving the service after a few more tours to formally settle with Isis, but I think it won’t be necessary,” he said.

“How do you mean?” Jake asked.

“Well…I haven’t told anyone yet, but what the devil, there’s a Primarch in the room,” Julius grunted, accepting a fresh cup of tequila with a nod.  “I asked Isis to marry me, and she’s accepted.  Jake, I want you to be my best man, if you’d be willing.  And to cap it off, once the war is over I’m being reassigned to one of the Geno offices here on Terra.  Away from the frontlines.  It’s a long tour, too.  Eleven years.  More than enough time for…well, personal life,” he said broadly.

Jake leaned over and grabbed his hand.  “I’d be happy to!  Congrats, my friend,” he said.

Venus clapped her hands together.  “Fantastic!  Oh, that’s a hell of a thing, Julius, congratulations.”


“Thanks, Venus,” Julius said, his tension fading a bit more.  He swirled the drink in the glass a few times before downing half in a gulp.  “Good God damn, I missed Terran liquor,” he said flatly, setting the cup down.  “Geno troops are too well-disciplined to set up stills in the trenches, unfortunately,” he sighed.

“Damn shame, that,” Jake deadpanned.

“Yes, it’s a crying shame indeed,” Julius said.  “Bloody things glow like a road flare, in a thermo scope at night.”

The oven in the corner beeped.  Venus rose and swung it open, flooding the spacious kitchen with the scent of daisy ham.  “Want to stay for dinner?” she asked.

Julius looked up and smiled.  “I’d love to, thanks.”  He stood too, and rolled his neck to work out the kinks.  “Can’t say much for military food, really,” he said drily.

“Is it disgusting, or something?”

“No, it’s just…nutrients.  Not bad, not good,” Julius said.  “And then you get dropped in a trench for a while, and suddenly it’s haute cuisine.”

“Ouch,” Jake said.  “They don’t just not feed you guys in the trenches, do they?”

“Oh, they do,” Julius admitted, “just not with what you’d call ‘edible’ substances.  Hell, we had to catch rats for meat once because the supply truck got shelled out in the open, and it took two full weeks to clear out the snipers well enough to get close enough to salvage anything.  My batman fancies himself a cook, but if you ever have a chance to try his ‘Rat-Au-Van,’ just don’t. You can guess what it is.”

Venus winced.  “Fuck, that’s disgusting.  I’ve half a mind to send a Legionary ship with actual food out to you guys.”

“If ever I were to ask you or Isis to abuse your power, that would be how I do it,” Julius groused.  He tapped the bare patch of leather at his left hip as Jake grabbed plates.  “I want to thank you, Venus, as long as I’m here.”

“For…oh, for the sword,” Venus said.

“Very much so.  You, Farah, and Hana did one hell of a job.”  Julius held out his empty had to accept a glass of water.  “It’s perfect.  The balance is flawless.”

“It was fun to make.”  Venus set out plastic cutlery for the three of them.  “Do you ever actually use it?  Or is it just ceremonial?”

“I’ve worn the grip smooth in one place, and it’s partway there in another,” Julius said.  “Trust me, that thing has saved my life.”

“Well, that’s very good to hear,” Venus said.  She sighed to herself as the men sat down.  “You know, though, I feel bad.  I wish I could make your job easier, Julius.  Or, you know, safer.”

Julius shook his head.  His cropped deep brown hair was cut to a military crew, but he looked to be growing it out a bit for his leave.  “Venus, coming back to Terra to see my family, friends, classmates, and fiancé is making my job easier in ways I couldn’t have even appreciated before signing up.  Please believe that.”

“Well…if you say so,” Venus said.  She grinned as Julius reached for a loaf of bread with an almost childlike eagerness.  “Are you allowed to bring leftovers home in a napkin, Julius?” she asked.

“You’re an angel, Venus, but I’m going to go back to Isis’ apartment after this, and I came from there, too,” Julius chuckled.  “Plenty of time to filch real food.”

“So glad,” Venus said, slicing the ham.  “Well, dig in.”

Julius smiled to himself as his friends laughed and carried on.  It did feel good indeed, he decided, to come home every so often.  He made a mental note to check in with the rest of his high school confederates that had enlisted, just to make sure they were all right.  It never hurt to stay in touch.