Editing Story:ROAD TRIP! (Warhammer High)/Part Three (section)

===Jake's Growing Up===


As lunch rolled around, the group assembled in the Captain’s Hall, where the usual flustered glances at their sparring injuries were made, and the Captain and Venus made their traditional small talk.  While recounting more of their adventure on Nocturne, however, the ship’s Astropath suddenly departed without a word.  Freya, the most Warp-seasoned of the five teens, provided a rational explanation: the ship was receiving a high-priority message.

“That would be likely,” Roemer said.  As he turned back to his food, however, the Astropath burst back in, rushing to his side.  Though the Captain flinched when the eyeless psyker leaned over to him, his discomfort vanished as the man started to urgently whisper.  “…I see.  Well, I’m afraid all we can do is hope we get dispatched,” he said back.

“As you say, Captain,” the Astropath said, ignoring his half-eaten sandwich and heading back out the door.

“May I ask?” Venus posed, all politeness.

“A distress call from a world along the Void Walks trade lane.  A Space Hulk has emerged in-system, and the Merchant fleets are cut off,” Roemer said.  “We’re a long way out, however, so I expect we won’t be called up.”  He lifted his cutlery again.  “Sorry to disrupt,” he said.

“Certainly not, I would be more displeased if you didn’t let urgent news disrupt a meal,” Venus said.

Almost as soon as the meal was over, Remilia excused herself and made for the O-Club.  Just as she arrived, however, she paused with her hand on the hatch frame.  After Haarlan’s observation the previous night, did she really want to be seen hovering around Kines?  A simple recording of her sparring was one thing, an affair was entirely another.

She hesitated.  Closing her eyes in thought, she weighed her options.  After a moment, she decided to postpone a reunion until she could be seen to do so with the others.  She sighed heavily, turned away from the inviting room, and went back up to her cabin.

As she arrived, she swung the hatch open, glancing over the vacant chamber.  Clearly, Kines had made his escape while she had been at lunch.  She hoped he had managed to arrive at the bar without raising suspicions, for both their sakes.

Footsteps down the corridor behind her snapped her attention up.  She looked back to see Venus and Jake returning to their own cabin.  “Hey, Remilia, you up for another game tonight?” Jake asked as they drew closer.

“Uh…possibly, I don’t know if I’m in the mood for more poker,” she confessed.

“We can try something else.  Ratscrew, euchre, ascendency, your call,” he said.

“You know, actually, I think I just want to turn in a bit early,” Remilia said evasively.

Jake grinned patiently.  “Mm hmm.  If you say so…” he said, opening his own hatch.

That evening, Jake sat down in front of the small group of officers that had gathered around his table in the O-Club.  “Gentlemen, welcome,” he said.  He opened the leather case, passing out some chips.  “Values are on the chips.  Opening ante is one credit, we max at four hundred.”

The officers nodded, taking their chips.  Jake glanced around the room, noting the absence of Remilia.  Shaking his head, he stood.  “All right, gents, I’m just going to grab a drink, then we can start.”  He walked up to the bar, grabbing the ice water Kines had already put out for him.  The Lieutenant was in high spirits, clearly.  “Thanks, Chuck,” Jake said.  He leaned forward conspiratorially as the Lieutenant opened his mouth for a greeting.  “I think she just wants to avoid scheming political officers,” he whispered.

Kines stared, flushing a bit, but nodded as if nothing of import had been said.  “I’ll be back several hundred credits richer,” Jake said a bit louder, walking back to his table.  Freya was hovering next to his seat as he returned.

“Sure you don’t want to be learning the trade?” she asked slyly.  “There’s plenty of room on the dartboard.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later, my audience awaits,” he replied, dealing the first hand.

Venus paged through the terse message from home.  She had received it only a few minutes before, with an urgent tag from the Astropath.

“Under attack, huh.”  She swore under her breath in Old Nocturnean.  “Naturally.  We’re vacationing on Death Worlds, and he’s the one who gets attacked by Orks.”  She read a bit more, shaking her head.  “He’s a tough kid, but…well.  He’ll be fine,” she said to herself, rising to her feet in the empty cabin.  She checked the message’s send list.  Roemer had already received it.  “Good.  Wouldn’t want the Astropath cutting corners.”  She dropped the slate on the bed and thought their options over.  Fenris was only seventeen light-years from the Void Walks.  From there, if they pressed the Warp Drives flat-out, they could be at Seadelant in four days.  If she had to, she could use her authority as a Lady Primarch to just requisition a ship to take them back to Terra, though she suspected that Freya would be the one doing it.

She lay back on the bed, thinking.  How would it be wisest to handle this?  Pius could watch his own ass, of course, and with the whole Fourth Grand Fleet mobilized, it’s not like there were other reinforcements to send.

After nearly five minutes of silent contemplation, she let out a shaky breath.  “There’s nothing.  I can do…literally nothing.”  Venus closed her eyes and slowly massaged them.  “…I need a drink.”

She leaned up in her seat and turned the slate off.  She slid her sandals on and walked out of her hatch, head hung low.  She nearly bumped into Remilia coming out of her own cabin.  “Oh.  Hey,” she said distractedly.

“Hi.  Something wrong?” Remilia asked.

“Seadelant, the world where Julius Pius stopped over on his way to Macragge, is under siege by an Ork Waaagh,” Venus said simply.

Remilia stared.  “…Fuck.  Did he make it out?”

“No.”  Venus shrugged.  “Nothing we can do but hope.”

Her blond cousin looked down at the deckplates.  “It’s getting worse out there, isn’t it?”

“It is.”  Venus sighed again.  “Want to go get a drink?”

“Well…I’m worried that if I go down there too often, I might get Chuck in trouble,” Remilia confessed.

“As opposed to the first leg of the trip, where we went every day?” Venus pointed out.

“You were there.  Haarlan saw us.”  Remilia shuffled a foot.  “I’m just nervous.”

Venus nodded patiently.  “It doesn’t have to be something you do every night, you know.”

Remilia looked up at her in surprise.  “Really?  You and Jake aren’t…I mean…”

“Oh my god, every night?  I’d break in half!” Venus giggled.  “Trust me, it’s fine.  If you’re worried, just go chat with him.”

“All right.”  Remilia smiled awkwardly.  “Let’s go.”

Jake watched another officer plod away in defeat, grinning to himself.  “All right, who’s in?” he asked.

“Eh, I’ll cut my losses,” one of the two remaining officers said, pushing his chips away and taking his money out of the pot.  The last one looked a bit doubtful, but stayed in the game.

“I’ll keep going,” he said, chipping in.

“All right.”  Jake anted up and dealt.  His hand was horrible.  Two, five, seven, ten, ace, all four suites.  He kept his face impassive.

“I’ll check,” the lieutenant said.

“Check,” Jake said, tossing in the two, five, and seven.  He dealt the other man a few cards and picked up his own.  A six, a nine, and another ace.  Excellent.

The other man reached for his chips, but paused.  Jake raised an eyebrow.  Was he losing his nerve?

Venus’ warm hands slid over his shoulders.  “Hey.  How’s the game going?”

“Swimmingly,” Jake pointed out, gesturing at his pile of chips.  No wonder the lieutenant had hesitated.  Seeing a Primarch’s Daughter was probably pretty new to him.  “You want to play in the next game?”

“No thanks, I just need a drink.”  Venus kissed the crown of his head and walked up to the bar.

Jake turned back to the lieutenant, who was staring at his girlfriend with a mixture of awe and attraction that put a smile on Jake’s face.  “You in?” he asked.  The lieutenant shook himself and threw his cards away.  “All right,” Jake said, sweeping up the pot.

Remilia sat at the bar, smiling at Kines.  “Hello, Lieutenant.”

“Hi, Remilia.  Just water?”

“The mildest whiskey you’ve got, actually,” Remilia said.

Kines winced.  “Oooh…sorry, ma’am, but this is a Navy ship.  No drinking under eighteen.  Not even for you.”

Remilia frowned.  “Oh.  Right.”  She shrugged.  “Lemonade then.”

“Fresh out, sorry.  Orange soda again?” he asked apologetically.

“Sure.”  She caught the bottle, noting that he was acting completely nonchalant.  Was he not interested in another night?  She wondered how to ask discreetly.  Before she could, however, he swept his hand across the bar to mop up some condensate and quite deliberately brushed her hand.  She left it where it was and he did it again, this time accompanying it with the slightest shake of the head, and a cheerful wink.

She smiled to herself.  He was interested, but unavailable.  That was fine.

“Lieutenant, do you have any matches?” Jake called over from his nearby table.

“Matches, sir?  To light a cigarette?” Kines asked.  “Sorry, we don’t allow smoking here.”

“No, not to smoke.  Just to try something,” Jake said, scooping up the last of his money.  The final officer sat back in his chair, miserable.

“Uh…yes,” Kines said slowly.  He grabbed a book of paper matches.

Jake finished packing up his poker set and walked over, cash in his bulging pockets.  “No, no, I mean wood matches.  Stick matches.”

“Maybe, why?” Kines asked.  Jake grabbed the cardboard box of kitchen stick matches from him and pulled one out.

With the eyes of the surrounding crowd firmly affixed to him, Jake struck the match and immediately pressed it to the side of his hand.  He held his hand flat, slowly dragging the match along the underside of his palm, and pulled it out the other side.  He puffed the match out and showed his hand to the viewers with a taunting grin.  He was completely unscathed.

Venus blinked.  “Okay…I’m partially fireproofed, how did YOU do it?” she asked as the crowd made various noises of disbelief and appreciation.

“I learned this trick from my father, who insisted we have a box of them in the apartment even though we didn’t have a gas stove.  Where he got them, I’ll never know,” Jake said, pulling another match out.  He struck it again and dragged it along his hand once more, and again he pulled it back unscathed.  “Anyone want to try to figure it out?” he asked.

Remilia smiled into her soda.  He had certainly gained quite a bit of confidence since the road trip had started.  It looked good on him.  Kines took advantage of the distraction to lean over and catch her eye.  “Haarlan’s on my case.  Does he know?”

“Yes.  He’s been ordered not to do anything,” Remilia whispered back.

“OW!”  A lieutenant beside the bar lurched back, cradling his hand.

Kines closed his eyes.  “Damn the Munitorum.”

“Chuck, we can still meet.  Just don’t go to the commissary,” Remilia whispered.  “I have more…you know.”

“Okay.  Not tonight.  Tomorrow?” he whispered.

“I’ll be there,” she finished with a coy grin.

“How do you DO it?” the injured officer said, staring at Jake’s hand.

“Like so,” Jake said.  He lit a third match, placing it to his hand.  “Fast.  Don’t give it time to heat up.  Move constantly, don’t pause,” he said, doing so.  “Then pull it away immediately.  Move it along the lifeline on your palm, follow the crease,” he said.  He pulled it away and blew it out.  “Easy.”

“Where do you learn all this shit, Lord Seager?” the officer asked.

Jake smiled.  “From my father and friends in middle school.  We got up to all kinds of crazy stuff in Tetra.”

“Tetra?  You mean Terra?” the officer asked, putting an ice cube on his hand.

“No, Hive Tetra, on Terra,” Jake corrected, sitting down at the bar.

“Oh…” the officer trailed off.

Jake resignedly shook his head.  “How about you?  Where are you from, Lieutenant?” he asked Kines.

“Oh, I’m from Totnis, a completely irrelevant little agri-world out in the middle of Solar, about ninety light years from Terra,” Kines replied. “Joined up to see the galaxy and get away from the homestead, you know.”

Alex wandered over from the dartboard.  “Did you get to pick which Legion you served?”

“Nope, you pick which career path you want and they assign you to a ship.”  Kines wiped down the bar and took the matches back.  “I like the Tide, though.”

Alex sat down too, swigging his drink.  “Ever seen combat?”

“Nope.  And, frankly, if the bartender’s actually fighting someone, we’re all boned,” Kines said with a laugh.