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

===ETD (Estimated Time of Dinner)===


A few hours later, Jake awoke as a bead of sweat worked its way past his eye.  He lifted his head to see Venus fast asleep across from him.  He gingerly rose from where he had lain down on her arm and dried his forehead.  He always woke up hot when he fell asleep that close to her.
He pulled his thermo kit free and started dressing for the evening, glancing over the clock as he did.  Early.  Plenty of time.  Good.  He grabbed his slate as he finished and opened his messages.

Venus stirred on the bed as he did.  “Mmmph.  Hey,” she mumbled, propping herself up.

“I wake you up?” Jake asked idly, paging through to his inbox.

“No.  Anything new?”

Jake laughed aloud as a message from his parents came through.  “Check this out.  It’s a photo from home!  My cousin Alice got engaged!” he said, passing Venus the slate.

“Really?  Cool!” Venus said, taking the slate.  Sure enough, a picture of a radiant young woman standing hand in hand with a dark-haired man a few years her senior appeared on the screen.  “Have I ever met them?”

“No, but you will when we have the going-away party when we get home,” Jake said.  “That’s Alice and her fiancé Hajime.”

“Cute couple,” Venus said, passing it back.

“Yeah.  Alice is my mother’s closest, by a lot.  She has an even younger brother who’s a few years older than me,” Jake explained.

“I know basically nothing about your family on your mother’s side,” Venus noted.

“You’ll meet them when you go home with me after the road trip.  That weepy guy there is my grandfather Eric, he’s a Fists Battle Group vet,” Jake said, opening a new picture.

“Huh.”  Venus looked it over.  “Where’s your mother’s mother?” she asked.

“Losing a battle to a viral infection in the hospital, last I heard,” Jake said glumly.

Venus winced.  “Sorry.”

“Eh.”  Jake turned off the slate.  “All right.  Well.  I feel a lot better,” he said, standing up.  “Wanna go hang with the others before dinner?”

“Sure,” Venus said.

Jake turned to put nicer shoes on.  “So…you know, I don’t think I know Misja’s family at all either.”

“Well, Mom’s the youngest of like…eight siblings, half of whom aren’t even living on Terra,” Venus explained as she slid her bra off for something less sporty.  “You’ll meet them all eventually, they make a point of coming home every so often.”

Jake grinned to himself.  “We’ve gotta be lucky that way.”

“Huh?”

“How many of your cousins have such close kin on their mothers’ sides?” Jake asked.  “And me too?”

“It’s a thing to treasure,” Venus agreed.  “I’ve never even met Lady Guilliman, or Lady Angron, for that matter.  I’m not sure even Furia ever met her mother.”

“Really?” Jake asked.  “I remember you telling me Lord Guilliman married first.”

“Oh, he did, but he married a woman from Macragge, not Terra, and she’s Lady Regent of Ultramar, so she’s hella busy.”  Venus finished changing and grabbed her slate.  Jake did the same and opened the door.  “All right.  Let’s go track down the others.”

As the hour approached, Freya glanced over the clock by her side and switched her slate off.  “All right, guys, any questions before I head down there?” she asked.

The others looked up at her from their places in her room.  “Yeah, what do we have to say?” Alex asked.

“Not a word, unless you want to.  If you’re asked, just smile and shake your head.”  Freya dropped her slate and pulled her cloak off the chair back.  “Won’t need the dress, just the cloak will do…”

“Any rules of etiquette we need to know?” Jake asked.

Freya paused to look at him funny.  “Have you ever seen Dad eat?”

“Point taken,” Jake said.

Freya shrugged the cloak on.  “Just remember that the rules of the Hall are absolutely sacrosanct to us.  There are members of the Rout that would rather go punch an Ice Fiend than deliberately insult an invited guest.  You guys will be fine.”

Remilia set her slate aside.  “Should we come down with you?”

“No, just wait ten minutes and follow me.”  Freya pulled the gloves and hood on and left the rest of the outfit behind.  “All right, off I go.”  She leaned over to give Alex a kiss before heading out the door.

Turning to go down the hallway, she noticed Mustafa and Bletcher in their day uniforms, directing a trio of servitors to lift their boxes.  She spoke up as she approached.  “Heading out, Generals?” she asked.

“We are, your Highness,” Bletcher answered.  “The wars of the Emperor call.”

“Very well.  Good hunting, gentlemen,” she said as she walked past.

“Thanks for having us, your Highness,” Mustafa said after her.

Arriving at the lifts, Freya descended into the depths of the fortress, letting a tremor of excitement work its way through her belly.  The afternoon’s terrors would be made up for, she was sure.

As she arrived outside the massive wooden doors, she paused and settled her nerves.  The scents and sounds from the Hall were overwhelming, and she felt her blood pump a bit faster as the senses of belonging and desire alike filled her.  “Here we go…” she said softly.

An exiting skjald spotted her and held the door for her as she approached.  “Princess, the Brothers await you at the head table,” he said respectfully as she passed.

She nodded her thanks and entered.  As the door swung shut behind her, she hesitated, taking it in.

Not a thing had changed since that morning, of course, save the room’s occupants.  Where before there had been almost no men in the colossal room, now it was a sea of light blue armor and robes.  The hundreds upon hundreds of massive tables were ringed with tens of thousands of Wolf Brothers, and she knew from experience that the room wasn’t even large enough to seat a tenth of the Legion.

A few heads turned as her scent mingled with those of the room’s other occupants.  She had emerged halfway down one of the massive room’s sides, with the Head Table at the left extreme and a raised – currently open – podium large enough for ten to stand upon it at the other.  The nearest table of brothers rose and called their greetings as they recognized her.  She waved happily as she walked down to the Head Table, where Bjorn was already awaiting her, along with Konnar and a few others.  Every table she passed bade her pause and tell her tales, and she refused with her eyes leaking tears of joy at every step.  The sense of belonging that had been building in her since she had arrived in-system was pushing aside all else, until it broke free as she passed a table full of her father’s warriors.

She hesitated as she passed, allowing them to approach, some with nothing more than sly or happy grins, others asking questions, others yet allowing their appearances and senses do the talking.  As she sniffled back more tears as they did, shaking many proffered hands.  “Thanks, guys,” she said softly.

Freya left them behind and reached the Head Table, taking a seat at the left hand of the empty throne where her father would have sat.  The seat at the right was also vacant, since it would have been filled by her mother.  Bjorn, sitting to her own left, rested a hand on her back in silent support, a tiny smile breaking his scarred visage.  “Feel good to be home, lass?” he asked under his breath.

Freya bit back a happy sob.  “You have no idea,” she said through her joy.

The room gradually fell silent as Konnar rose.  “Brothers!” he called.  “Hear me.”

The Wolf Brothers halted their joking and talking as Konnar spoke.  “Heed now.  Even as our pack roams the stars and brings the greenskin low, we are made stronger once more, as our Sister returns.  Make her feel welcome!” he proclaimed.

An ululating and throaty cry of welcome tore from every corner as the assembled Space Marines welcomed their little sister home once more.  Freya looked down to hide her tears, thought better of it, and rose to her feet, allowing the full sound to reach her.  She beamed from ear to ear at the tables of her pack calling their greeting to her.

As she sat back down, Konnar waved for silence.  “As I am sure you all know, we are called upon once more by the All Father on Terra to bring his enemies to their knees.  And so we shall!  Even know, nine of our thirteen Great Companies ply the stars and root the enemy out from their holds.  When they return, with new tales to tell and scars to show, as the Imperium grows ever more secure, let us now hold them in our memories, for not all shall return to us.”  Konnar allowed a glint of cerulean light to play though his eyes as he closed them, bowing his head in silent memory of those who had left, and those who would not return.

The room fell silent as the men did as they were bade.  Freya dipped her head over the bare table as she joined her brothers in prayer.