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

===Catching Up===

George Seager listened to Vulkan describe the attack on Jake, torn between an alien rage and helpless fear.  “Will he recover?” he asked tightly.

“Fully,” Vulkan assured him.  He had invited the Seagers over to share the news he had received in his latest dispatch from Venus.  “Fear not, Skarokk medicae are very, very good.  He’ll be just fine.  I suspect he’s up and about right now,” Vulkan added.

“Damn it all,” George muttered.  Sandra was holding her hand over her mouth, sick to her stomach.  “I thought he’d be at more risk from animals than from drunks,” he said darkly.

“He is, actually.  And really, drunks are animals,” Vulkan noted.  He leaned forward.  “If it’s any consolation, the usual Nocturnean punishment for this sort of dishonorable attempted murder is ‘lock him up and make him watch you melt down the key,’” he said.

“Good,” George growled.  “My son gets his head caved in on a road trip to his girlfriend’s homeworld…damn it all.  And of course, now he gets to have the trip ruined by a trial,” he observed bitterly.

“What trial?” Vulkan asked.

Sandra blinked.  “Won’t there be a trial?”

Misja shook her head.  The two were sitting across from the Seagers in a conversation area in the greatroom of the Forgefather’s mansion.  “Nocturnean law doesn’t require the accused to face the accuser, or the reverse.  Jake can leave the charges standing and depart, whenever he wants.  On the other hand, the standards of burden of proof are much higher, to prevent frivolous cases.  I think a room full of witnesses, some of them Salamander serfs, is more than enough.  Especially since he confessed.”

“Oh…well, that’s a relief,” Sandra said.

“It is.”  Vulkan leaned forward, narrowing his eyes to prevent the Seagers from being blinded.  “Sieur, Madam Seager, I owe you a distinct and genuine apology.”

“I don’t-” George started.  Vulkan gently interrupted.

“George.  Your son was nearly murdered by one of my citizens, in vengeance for a crime my Enforcers failed to prevent.  It is my fault, however indirectly.  To that end, I offer you my heartfelt apology, and offer my assurances that I will endeavor to make my world safe again.  For my daughter, and for your son.”

“I…I understand.”  George looked aside at his wife.  Sandra nodded, pale but resolute.  “We accept, of course.”

“Thank you.”  Vulkan leaned back.  “I asked my Regent, No’dan, for an update of the world’s status before I allowed my daughter and her friends to travel to Nocturne on this venture.  He assured me that the crime rates were unusually high, but that no outstanding threat to Venus’ safety existed.  I can only hope he included any threats to her boyfriend, cousins, and schoolmate in that assessment.”

“I think he would have…at least tried to be helpful,” George said awkwardly.

“No doubt.”  Vulkan smiled at last.  “In any event, I feel I must say: your son impresses me.  Will to live after his mangling aside, Venus has never been happier than she is when discussing him.”

Sandra smiled too, finally relaxing.  “That’s good to hear.  When Jake’s cell vox was broken, he used to hang over the apartment vox like a carrion bird, so he didn’t miss any calls from her.”

Vulkan chuckled.  “Good to know.”  He tapped one finger on his chin, remembering.  “Do you recall when they met?  Venus has recounted it to me a few times.”

“At school, from what I understand,” George said.  “A mutual friend introduced them, I think.”

Misja nodded.  “Farah Manus.  Ferrus’ daughter.  Venus’ best friend since before they could talk,” she said.

“Ferrus…Manus?” George asked.  He slowly shook his head.  “I do apologize, but I’m still not quite used to walking in such…privileged company.  I don’t know how Jake is.”

“I imagine having gym class with their daughters for four years probably helped,” Misja noted drily.

Sandra couldn’t suppress a snort of laughter.  “I would think so, certainly.”

“You know, she told me once that the first thing Jake did when he met her was make eye contact,” Vulkan joked.  “Guess how often that happens in this house.”

“…Not very,” George allowed, after taking a moment to figure whether it was meant as a joke.

Misja rolled her own, normal eyes.  She was quite used to her husband’s theatrics.  “She was afraid that he would be just another sycophant.  But he stuck out a hand to shake, asked her a few questions, told a joke.  He was nervous, of course, but he wanted to know who the pretty girl with the obsidian skin was.  My daughter could have done far worse,” she said.

Both Seagers grinned at the implied compliment.  “Well, thanks, La…Misja.”  Sandra corrected herself.  “Dare I ask what Farah was thinking?”

“What, introducing them?  That Venus would like him, I assume.”  Vulkan nodded.  “I think…even if they had not become something more, they would still have been fast friends.”

“I sure hope so,” George said.  He turning his head aside, remembering how Jake had been when he had first come home from Imperator.  He hadn’t met any of the Primarchs’ daughters until he was in second semester of first year, when several of them had been in his biology class.  “I think he would have been, too.  I remember…when he first met…it must have been Lady Hana he met first, she was assigned to be his partner in a biology lab.”

“First…of my nieces?” Vulkan asked.

“Yes, indeed…he reported being intimidated, naturally enough,” George said.  “I think he simply didn’t know how to act around nobility in that setting.”

“To be fair, most of the people in that school were pretty closed to him,” Sandra said.  George nodded.

“True.  Several of them had no doubt been warned about associating with hivers by their parents.  Even…well,” he suddenly paused as he realized he had been about to discuss one of those nieces in front of their uncle.

“Oh, let me guess.  A few students made mention of his ignoble background?” Vulkan asked flatly.

“They did,” George said.  “Mostly just kids’ stuff, I know, but it still bothered him a bit.”

“He was wise not to let that get to him too much,” Vulkan said.  “Why did you decide to send him to a surface school?”

Sandra shrugged uncomfortably.  “Well, hive schools are more like factories than places of learning.  And George got his education on Mars, so he knew the value of an outside education on Terra.  Mostly, though, he got a scholarship, and he snatched it up.”

“Oh, did he?”  Misja leaned back.  “What was it?”

“The ‘Hab 19889 Prestigious Academic Achievement Award,’” George said.  “Basically, a private school voucher.”

“Good for him.  How did he earn it?” Misja asked.

George smiled tightly.  “Blackmail.”

Vulkan blinked.  “What?”

George sat back against his seat, thinking it over.  “Jake was more than qualified for the award, of course.  And only…what, sixty people out of his class of seventeen thousand students even applied for it?  That sounds right.  He won it fair and square.  But, the number of vouchers was finite, only six would get them.  Jake and five other people from his class, and six from a magnet school in another hive.”

“What’s blackmailing about that?” Vulkan asked, confused.

“Jake’s middle school was selected for it because the school administrator blackmailed the search committee into selecting his school,” George said.  “By the time the news broke, the school had already handed out the vouchers.”  He noted Misja’s shocked expression.  “This happens around our cube pretty often.  You get used to it.”

Vulkan leaned forward again, gauging his guests.  “Why do you want to live in such a place?”

“To be frank, Lord, that’s our business,” George said.  “I will say that it wasn’t entirely my father’s intention and that is the end of it.”

“Very well,” Vulkan said, somewhat taken aback by George’s sudden emotion, but not showing it at all.  “Then may I ask if Jake intends to live in the hives upon graduation, whether he and Venus remain together or not?”

“I haven’t asked.”  Sandra looked sideways at her husband, but didn’t say anything.  George continued.  “My son’s a bright kid, and he genuinely likes the people he knew from the hive.  I trust him to make his own choice.  What your daughter has to say on the subject, I can’t imagine.”

“Her mind is made.  For Jake’s presence or absence, she will live on Nocturne,” Vulkan said.  “College changes things, of course, but that is her intent.”

Abruptly, the door rattled on its hinges.  The Seagers started.  Vulkan, however, smiled.  “Ah.  I was wondering if she had been BCCed into the message.”

The door opened as Farah Manus launched into the room.  Her hair, as ever, was tucked back under her bandana, and her face was flushed.  “Uncle Vulkan, I just got the message!”

“Hello, Farah.  George and Sandra Seager, Farah Manus,” Vulkan said drily, gesturing at the panting girl with the bionic hands standing behind them.

“We’ve met, sir.  Hello, Lady Manus,” Sandra said, rising to her feet.

“Hi, Missus Seager.  Did you get the message too?” she hurriedly asked.

“We were invited over to discuss it,” Sandra said.  “Jake will be fine, apparently.”

“I got that part, but I was back in town for a stopover on my vacation and I wanted to hear what’s going to happen next,” Farah said breathlessly.  “What about Venus?  Is there gonna be a trial?”

“She’s fine, and no,” Vulkan said.  “Farah, sit down.”

Farah sat, still panting.  “I was so surprised!  I thought things had never been safer on Nocturne!” she said.  She blinked at the implications of her words.  “Uh, I don’t mean-”

Vulkan chuckled.  “Farah, there’s a volcano in my backyard on Nocturne.  No offense was intended, none was taken.  That said, so did I.  Clearly, this crime spree must be dealt with.”  Vulkan clenched one fist the size of a rugby ball and looked terrifying for a moment, something at which he was quite skilled.  “I owe my people that much.”  He relaxed again, and the Drake King was an indulgent uncle once more.  “So, Farah…your own trip.  When does it begin?”

“I’m on Earth another forty days, then off to see Mom on Medusa.”  Farah was clearly trying not to worry about Venus and company, and clearly not managing it.  Sandra found it endearing.  “I hate to ask, but is there anything we can do for them?”

“No.  Not without going in person.  Which I won’t.”  Vulkan leaned forward, his expression softening a bit.  “Farah, listen.  Jake will be fine.  They’ll be back on Earth in less than two months.”

“Right.”  Farah sighed tightly.  “All right.  I guess she’ll write when things are resolved.”

“She will, I’m certain,” Vulkan said.  “When I send a response, do you want me to bundle one from you?”

“I would, thanks,” Farah said.  She sighed some of her tension away.  “Well.  Thanks.  I should go,” she said, standing again.  She sadly smiled at the Seagers.  “I’m sorry Jake got hurt.”

Sandra’s response was heavy and tired.  “Us too.”