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

===A Long, Long Time 'Til Touchdown...Oh, We've Landed===


Remilia kicked back in her chair and crossed her hands behind her head, listening as Venus said her farewells.  The ship’s ambient noise picked up as the pilot brought more and more of the flight systems online.  The cells that fuelled both engines spun up as Venus walked inside and sealed the ramp.
“All right…everyone ready to go home?” she asked.

Remilia nodded.  “Yep.”

“Can’t wait,” Jake said.  “So much buying to do!  Remilia, I seriously owe you one,” he said.

“What?” Remilia asked.

“The gift card.  Remember?  Keller’s?” Jake reminded her.

“Ah, yeah.”  Remilia looked up to the lights overhead.  “I think I’ll join you, actually.  I feel like upgrading before I head out.”

“Thinking of implants?” Jake asked.

“Hells of no, that shit is creepy,” Remilia said.  “I mean, good on Cora for stomaching it, but I couldn’t do that.  I’m just gonna buy a new storage drive.”  She went quiet as the others found seats, with Venus and Freya already debating who they thought would be at the party.  She found herself uninterested in joining in, as her thoughts turned to her own impending discussion with her mother.

What could she say?  Between the time she had come home from Freya’s and when she left for the road trip, they had barely spoken.  Would she feel compelled to apologize to her mother?  Would she resent her?

Remilia rolled onto her side in the heavily cushioned seat.  She hadn’t talked about this with Chuck.  Should he have?  It was new to her.  Clearly Chuck had gotten along very well with his parents, too.

As the hull started to buck a bit as they entered the atmosphere of the planet, nearly an hour later, Remilia realized that all she was accomplishing was making her stomach upset.  She sat up in the chair, looking over at where the others were busily reconfiguring their slates and watches to local time.

“All right, we’re clear and descending,” Venus said, glancing over her slate one last time.  She switched it off as they bumped about in the upper atmosphere.

“I’m actually nervous,” Freya confessed.  “I really want to see Morticia!  I hope she’s all better,” she said.

“Oh, is she back from Albiona?” Venus asked.

“She should be, and I want to read Angela’s story,” Freya said.  She was practically bouncing in her seat.  “Do you think Julius will be back?”

“Doubtful,” Venus said.  She squeezed her armrests as the shuttle dropped through the stratopause.  “I’m looking forward to spending some time in the forge.  Or hell, the pool.  I haven’t gone swimming in forever.”

“Can I take a dip with you?” Jake asked.

“Of course,” Venus said.  “You guys are all invited, if you want.”

“I’ll be gone,” Remilia said wistfully.

“I’ll be there,” Freya said.  “I love your pool.”

“I’m in,” Alex said.  “I think I should check in on Mom as soon as we’re off the shuttle, though,” he said quietly.

Jake cleared his throat.  “Well, I have a question for everybody,” he said.  “What’s everyone’s favorite part of the trip been?”

Venus paged through her memories of the journey, smiling at a few choice moments.  “Tough call…but I’d have to say either smithing in Deathfire on your watch or the thing in the hot spring on Fenris.”

“I’ll say the hot spring too,” Alex admitted, as Freya hid a smile.

“I think meeting Chuck, really,” Remilia said.  “That was a lot of fun.”

“He was a cool dude,” Jake said.

“I think…the trip to Hosanger,” Freya said.  “How about you?” she asked Jake.

He thought it over.  “I think the fishing trip, up until the kraken happened,” he said.  “Nocturne was fun, but it was just so hot.”

Alex passed him his vox.  “Remember this?”

Jake looked at the screen and smiled.  “Hah…yeah,” he said.  “Me and my harem.”

“You have a harem?  Why haven’t I been invited?” Venus asked.

“You kind of were, actually,” Jake said, passing her the vox.

Venus took it and laughed.  “Oh yeah…that was the night of the hot spring, wasn’t it?” she asked.  The screen showed the three of them lying with Jake on the bed.  “Man, you could sell this picture to any tabloid and make a bundle,” she said, giving the vox to Alex.

“Yeah, some random fucking hiver and his three Lady Primarchs,” Jake said cheerfully.

Remilia snorted.  “Dad would be so goddamned confused.  I’m almost tempted to have you really do it.”

The shuttle lurched.  “Your Highnesses, we’re four minutes from skids-down,” the pilot reported.

Alex sat down and buckled in.  “I hate this part.  No part of a space flight can go wrong in more ways,” he said under his breath.

“I trust my father’s pilots,” Venus said, settling back into her chair.  “And then…home.”

The ship settled on the pad on the Palace, clicking as it cooled.  After a few minutes of checklists, the hatches swung open, and a pair of Palace troops entered, providing an escort for the five teens as they disembarked.  At the bottom, two men in Navy colors stood, checking over the ship, and they parted in respect as the Primarch girls emerged.  “Your Highnesses, welcome home,” one said.  “If you will, your luggage is being transported to the security checkpoint.”

“Sure,” Remilia said, following the Navy personnel with the others in tow.  “Anything big in the news while we were gone?  Locally, I mean?”

“Lady Angela got published,” one of the sailors said.

“We saw.  We’re all really proud,” Freya said.

“Ah.  Well, Lady Morticia returned from her vacation…one of the members of the Senate had a heart attack and died,” the sailor.  “The representative of the Chartist Captains.  He’s been replaced.”

“That’s a shame,” Venus remarked.

“Indeed…Lord Primarch Perturabo and Lord Primarch Guilliman are both on planet at once for the first time in four years,” the sailor said.  “Aside from that, little major news until the election in four weeks.  Campaigns are reaching new lows in terms of turnout,” he said drily.  “The position of Grand Provost Marshal is open for the first time in twenty years.”

“That a fact?  Cornelius retired?” Freya asked.

“Sure did, ma’am.”  The group fell silent as the doors to the security station creaked open.  Beyond were the simple scanners used for the VIP checkpoints, with a small lounge beyond where people could wait for the scanners to spit their readings out.