Editing Meet the Primarchs (Warhammer High) (section)

==Meeting Jaghatai Khan==


Andrew sat on his idling bike for a second, steeling himself.  He had met the guy before.  This would be cake.  He glanced up at the surprisingly ornate house next to him, and took a deep breath.  Here goes nothing…

He kicked the stand out from the bike and thumbed the stud, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets to stave off the chill.  The oversized driveway up to the house had seen a lot of use.  There were gouges in a couple places, he saw, all leading up to the massive garage.  A babble of distant voices from the garage caught his ear as he approached.  Did the Khan have company over, or something?

Just as he angled off the drive to the front door, however, the garage groaned open, and an oil-stained techpriest ambled out.  “My pleasure, Mistress Hana,” he said over his shoulder.  He spotted Andrew and paused.  “Who might you be, young man?” he asked, eying the leather-clad boy over.

“Uh, hi.  I’m Andrew, Hana invited me over,” Andrew said, jerking his thumb at his ride by the curb.

“Ah, yes.  She’s in the garage,” the techpriest said, walking over.  He leaned in closer and added conspiratorially “and she’s not the only one expecting you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Andrew said drily.  The techpriest walked over to where his own aircar was parked.

Hana poked her head out the garage and waved at the techpriest, then spotted Andrew and smirked.  “Hey, there he is.  How ya’ been?”

“Great, thanks,” Andrew said back, walking over and peering into the garage.  “Wow.  Great setup here.”

“Thanks,” Hana said smugly.  The array of tools, parts, and containers looked like an auto shop that a true motorhead would approve of; the floor was scuffed and the tools scratched and faded, but nothing out of place or dirty.

“I parked my own ride at the curb, if that’s OK,” Andrew said, glancing around the spacious room.

“Sure.  Want to bring it in?” Hana asked, cocking her head at the bike at the road.  As if it was even an option not to.

“Hell yeah, I’ll go bring it up,” Andrew said.  He fished the keys out of his pocket and jogged back down, then walked it back up to the garage.
On the way back, however, he noticed someone else had arrived in the garage.  The massive form of Jaghatai Khan himself was lurking in the back of the room, rooting through the tool kits and workbench boxes.

“Hey, Andrew.  You remember Dad, right?” Hana asked innocuously.  Like anyone could forget losing a race to a White Scar, let alone THE White Scar.

“I do.  Hello, Lord Khan,” Andrew said, sticking his hand out to shake.  Jaghatai actually stared for a moment before taking the proffered hand.

“Hello, Andrew.”  Khan glanced over the machine Andrew was wheeling up, almost as critically as he had the kid himself.  “Made a few changes, I see.”

“I did indeed,” Andrew said, running his hand over the seat.  “A few repairs, but mostly improvements.”

“Almost sounds like someone’s up for a rematch,” the Khan said, grinning menacingly.

Andrew narrowed his eyes and stared right back, smiling.  “It does, doesn’t it?”

Hana looked from one man to the other, then cleared her throat.  “Well…glad to see you two are hitting it off.”

Jaghatai chuckled. Andrew wheeled his ride over into one of the open parking slots on the floor and kicked the stand in.  “Do you mind if I just set it here, Hana?”

“Go right ahead.  Dad?” she glanced over at the door to the house.  Jaghatai took the hint and followed her over.

“What is it?” he asked when Andrew was out of earshot.

“Remember, he’s MY boyfriend,” Hana said mockingly.

“Funny,” Jaghatai shot back, grinning.  “He’s fine.  Gutsy, just shaking my hand like that.  Nobody does that.”

“I’ll let him know he has your rubber stamp,” Hana said.  “See you tonight?”

“Yeah, just be back by 1800-ish,” Jaghatai said, opening the door and walking through.  “Bye.”

Hana nodded her farewell and turned on her heel, heading straight back to where Andrew was admiring the colossal attack bike the Khan had stashed in the back.

“Hey.  You ready to head out?” she asked, squeezing his shoulder and running her hand over the leather seat.

“You bet.  Where you wanna go?” Andrew asked, a bit surprised.  Why had he even bothered pulling his bike indoors?”

“Who even gives a fuck?” Hana asked, grabbing her jacket off the back of her own machine and tugging it on.  “Just take me somewhere.”

“Works for me,” Andrew said with a grin.  He straddled the seat and gunned the engine, smiling broadly as Hana’s arms wrapped around his waist.  He started up the engine, sealing his helmet on as Hana did the same.

Jaghatai watched them peel off through the door of the house, shaking his head.  “They grow up so fast.  Damn shame, too, that kid could have made a good Attack Rider…”