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

===Chains of Command===

Ten minutes later, Venus walked into the O-Club.  Jake and Alex were back at the dartboard, just killing time.  Kines and Haarlan were listening to Remilia and Freya tell stories about growing up in Startseite.  All six paused what they were doing as Venus walked in, bag and recording in hand.

“Well?  How did it go?” Freya demanded.

Venus offered up a weary grin, wincing as a cut on her lip stretched.  “I won.  I’ll leave the rest to the tapes.”

“Hah!  You kicked his ass,” Freya crowed.

“Maybe,” Venus allowed, sinking onto a stool.  “Ooof.  You know how you’re not really sore until after you change?  Ow.”

“Isaac put you through the grinder?” Remilia asked.

“How did I even live through that as a kid?” Venus groaned.

Jake walked up, smiling eagerly.  “How did you do, baby?”

“I think I won.  I hurt all over, but he fell down first, so, hey,” Venus said modestly.  She glanced over at Kines.  “Lieutenant, can I get a glass of ice?  No water, just ice,” she said.

“Sure, here you are, Lady Venus,” Kines said, passing her a glass.  Venus grabbed a chip of ice and held it to her bruised forearm.

“Oooh, that’s better,” she sighed.  She glanced over at the rest of the group.  “So…what are you guys up to?”

“Jake is scaring the shit out of me at how good at darts he is,” Alex said.  “I think Freya might need to take him as an apprentice or something.”

“Excellent,” Venus giggled, drying off her arm.  The ice had already melted.

“I’m trying to impress upon Commander Haarlan and Lieutenant Kines here the importance of not letting your aircar rust out,” Freya said.  Venus groaned.

“I remember.  How did you even manage that?”

“I still don’t know,” Freya confessed.  She glanced at the clock over the bar.  “Who’s hungry?”

“I could kill and eat a sauroch,” Venus said.

Jake nodded.  “Yeah, I bet.  Think we’ll get to do some of that on Nocturne?”

Venus laughed aloud.  “Not if you value your skin.  No offense, honey, but the SAND on Nocturne kills people.”

Jake sighed dramatically.  “Such is life.”

“If you’d like, my Lady, you could just eat here,” Kines said.  “We do serve a little food here.”

“Sounds good,” Venus said.  “Do you have menus?”

Kines shrugged.  “Well…it’s just one of seven or so flavored protein pars and a few kinds of drinks.”

“I’m sure Captain Roemer would be delighted to have you back for lunch, Lady Venus,” Haarlan pointed out.

“Thanks, but I don’t want to bother him,” Venus said.

“How exactly does that work?” Jake asked.  “Is the food that enlisted men, officers, and staff get different?”

Kines nodded.  “Yes, sir.”  When Jake didn’t inquire, Kines explained.  “The Captain and his staff can request that certain foods be brought aboard for them.  Officers are simply allowed a greater variety of what’s served to the enlisted.”

“That doesn’t sound fair,” Jake said.  Kines shrugged uncomfortably.

“That’s just how it works.  Rank has its privileges.”  He set a few bars out on the counter.

Venus grabbed a protein bar and tore it open, biting into it.  Her jaw froze mid-chew.  “Oh.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Jake asked, gnawing on his own.

“What?” Alex asked.

“I think this actually tastes good compared to the ones they have in the hive,” Jake said.

“There’s a sterling recommendation,” Freya said, eyeing the bars and choosing not to take one.  “I’ll pass, thanks, Lieutenant.”

Kines half-smiled.  “What can I say?  It’s hard to feed a crew of thousands for years at a time with no resupply, ma’am.”

Jake finished his bar and sat down.  “So…Lieutenant, how exactly did you wind up a bartender on a warship?”

Kines shrugged.  “I lucked out on my entry exams.  And I specifically requested it, too.  I like it here.  What other part of the job has you meeting so many people?”

Venus finished her own bar and tossed the wrapper in the trash.  “What do I owe you?” she asked.

“Huh?” Kines blinked.  “For what, ma’am?”

“The bar.”

“Er…that was a ration stick, ma’am, they’re free,” Kines said.

Venus tilted her head back.  “Oh.  Okay, thanks.”  She spotted a poster to the side, and quickly turned to it to cover her embarrassment.  “What’s that about tonight?”

“Holo night in the tertiary auditorium, my Lady,” Kines said, following her gaze.  “They’re playing some holo we picked up on Terra.”

“What’s the holo?” Freya asked.

Kines thought for a moment.  “I think it’s some old sports movie or something, ma’am.”

“Oh, cool.  Who’s up for it?” Freya asked.

“Not I.  I’m gonna need to rest.” Venus said.

Jake and Remilia also opted out.  “You and me, then, Alex,” Freya said.

Alex adopted a stern tone.  “Promise that you won’t be riffing the entire movie?”

“I hardly ever do that!” Freya proclaimed.  Alex stared her down, and she relented.  “Often.”

“Right,” Alex chuckled.

As dinner came, the group trooped up to the Captain’s Hall once more, deciding that it was indeed preferable to eat real food than reconstituted dead people.  After the meal, Remilia headed back down to the bar, while Freya and Alex went to see the holo.  Venus and Jake stayed in their room, just watching things they had brought with them on their personal slates.

Remilia sat back down at the bar, noting with a smirk that the Warrant from the previous night was hovering around the dartboard, clearly seeking vengeance for his upset.  Kines walked up to her behind the counter and wiped it down.  “Hello again, Madam.”

She accepted the orange soda he had stocked behind the bar with a reluctant grin.  “Thanks, but please stop calling me Madam.  It makes me feel old.”

“I’m older than you are, my Lady,” Kines pointed out.

“Still, people call my mother that.  Call me something else.  Please,” Remilia half-pleaded.

“All right then, my Lady,” Kines said, with the ghost of a smile.

Remilia groaned in exasperation.

“Lady Remilia then,” Kines continued.

“Just…Remilia works.  It’s my real name, after all,” she pointed out.

“I’m not certain I’m comfortable with addressing you that way, Lady Remilia,” Kines confessed.

“Well, titles weird me out.  So.  Remilia.  Please.”  The lanky blond petulantly crossed her arms.

Kines struggled for words for a moment, then gave up.  “Yes…Remilia.  Man, that’s weird.”

“Well, it’s an Inwit name,” Remilia said with a shrug.

Kines went white.  “No!  Please, I wasn’t making fun of-”

“Lieutenant.”  Remilia grinned behind her bottle.  “It was a joke.”

“Well, stop it, you scared the hell out of me,” Kines grumbled.

Remilia looked at him funny.  “Why are people on this ship scared of us?”

Kines looked down to the bar.  “It was just that one thing.”

“Lieutenant, I’d like to think we were getting along.  Why are people aboard so scared of us?” Remilia demanded.

Kines glanced side-to-side, seeking aid from the other people at the bar, but they were studiously ignoring the conversation.  Finally, he turned his face back to her.  “It’s…more like…caution, ma’am.  One word from you could completely ruin any of us…and after this morning…”

“I don’t think Freya was really going to throw anyone off the ship,” Remilia said.  “I barely even care.  We’re mostly athletes, you know, we get recorded all the time.”

“Yeah, but…still,” Kines said, pained.

Remilia nodded and tried to summon her patience.  “All right.  Well please…stop walking on eggshells.”

Kines nodded, trying to put it all behind him.  “Aye, Madam.”  Remilia glared.  “Sorry.  That sounded like an order.”  She giggled.