After waiting , and waiting , and more waiting , the 25th review never came and I started thinking maybe I'm expecting a little too much from my readers . Quite a lot of Favorite Story alert , but not as much review . No matter , the chapter I'm giving you is an interlude to the story . The next story chapter will be up when I received 10 more reviews , more than that would be greatly appreciated .
Side Drabbles .
1-Avitus
It was before dawn and Sergeant Avitus was heading towards his small farm which is outside of what use to be the launch bay of the Armageddon . The gigantic Space Marine was playing with the key chain in his left hand while carrying a barrel of gasoline on his left shoulder as if it weigh nothing .
"After this , I won't be worrying about vegetable for several month ." The old Devastator Sergeant mused . He had started this farm after he got the pay from his first mission here . While his partner Cyrus spent it on his city apartment , Avitus bought a tractor , a seeder and a lot of seeds of various types of plants as well as a dozen chickens . His farm has been providing food for the whole Blood Ravens Crew since then with his expansion .Later he even bought a pair of cow and a bull after Martellus and Gordian helped him build a shed for them .
Of course he did not run the farm alone . The other Space Marine always lend a helping hand whenever they could or when he was a way on mission . Amongst his Brother , Thaddeus was the one who helped him the most , despite the rows and fights , some of them quite violent , that they had . Martellus helped with the machinery and Gordian being the veterinarian for his animals but Thaddeus is like his only farm hand that helped him with almost everything from planting to harvesting , like this morning .
As Avitus reached the launch bay , he saw Thaddeus has arrived and waiting for him . A look of both irritation and sleepiness evident on his face .
"Damn it Avitus , what took you so long ? If I knew you are going to take your time , I would have stayed in bed for longer ." The assault Marine groaned .
"Shut it , if you don't , forget about breakfast ." Avitus threatened . Everyone know that the grizzled and grumpy marine would never carry out that threat but that did not stop him from making them .
"All right , all right , I'll shut up . What are you going to cook anyway ?" Thaddeus said , placating the older marine as they walked towards the exit ..
"Scrambled egg , baked potato and boiled carrot . Simple and healthy ." Avitus replied , his mind running through ways to cook the mentioned dishes .
"I miss the old days when you made pork chop for breakfast . " Thaddeus groaned again , obviously not liking what he just heard .
"It's not healthy to eat too much meat in the morning ." Avitus quoted Apothecary Gordian for his answer just to tick Thaddeus off . He himself does not even believe it . "Furthermore , the kids love it " . Added the Devastator marine , referring to the fact that the recent addition to their crew seems taken with his nutritious and healthy cooking , despite his Brother's protest about "growing kids " and "muscle building " .
"I don't know what Nunnally , Rolo and Harry see in those rabbit food you keep cooking ?" wondered Thaddeus Aloud
"Hey , they are the only one who seems to be appreciating my culinary skill , and the gene-seed in their body is not complaining , so who am I to say anything ?" Avitus retorted , smacking the younger Space Marine in the head .
"All right , all right . I won't complain about your cooking anymore . STOP WHACKING MY HEAD !"
"Yeah I will . Now you get the harvester running and drive it out . I will check the crop ." Avitus said , throwing the key chain to Thaddeus .
"Ok , wait for me ." Thaddeus said , catching the keys and getting into the harvester as Avitus was running towards the nearest plot of carrots .
He was starting up the harvester when an outrage scream from the vegetable plot reached his ears .
"MY CROP ! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR HAPPENED TO MY CROP ! "
Thaddeus got out of the harvester and ran towards his Brother to met with a bizarre sight . There in the middle of the plot was Avitus , holding a potato and a carrot in each hand and was staring at them in a mixture of horror and anger .
"What happened ?" The younger marine asked .
"Look at this Thaddeus ." Avitus pushed the carrots into Thaddeus' hand .
The carrot have tooth mark all over it , obviously from some kind of rodent . Thaddeus was jolted out of his thought by another blood-curling shout from Avitus . He looked up to see his Battle Brother charging towards the warehouse with a look of rage in his face , only to emerged again a minute later with his heavy bolter , fully loaded .
"Emperor protect us all ." Thaddeus lamented as he make a beeline for cover .
Harry was woken up by the sounds of rapid gunfire . He sat up abruptly and get out of bed . He followed the sound of gunshot to the launch bay . As he approached the garden , he was met with an hilarious site .
In the middle of the farm stand Avitus , who looks seriously pissed off , holding a large gun that Harry would later know to be a Heavy Bolter , the Space Marine equivalent of a heavy machine gun . He also realized that weapon was the source of all the noise as Avitus was firing indiscriminately at the vegetables plot . Then he noticed another presence in the farm and turned his eyes towards the tractor and saw Thaddeus sitting on top of it , looking bored and sleepy .
Thaddeus saw Harry approached him and moved towards the edge of the top of the tractor and offer the boy his hand . Harry took it and was pulled up to the top of the tractor , where he could see the whole farm and Avitus still venting out on his vegetables .
"Does this happened often , Uncle Thaddeus ?" Harry asked the blond Assault Marine .
"Not really , it's just that some rodents chewed up all of Avitus crop and he obviously does not appreciate it ." Thaddeus replied , ruffling his gravity-defying blonde hair .
"Rodent ?" Harry asked .
"Yeah , from the tooth marks , must be somekind of mouse or rat . I know that heavy Bolter is not going to do anything useful but I know better than to stand in Avitus' way when he's angry ." Answered the Assault Marine .
Harry looked at the angry Blood Raven who is emptying his heavy Bolter into the plot of land in vain . In the short time that he and his two friends-turned-siblings have arrived here , Avitus have been the one who cook for them their meal . Beneath the grumpy and mean-spirit exterior , Avitus is actually a very caring and concerned when it came to his brothers and the children . All the Blood Ravens said that Avitus have changed a lot since arriving in this world as the old Avitus would not care for anyone and is filled with hate and fury . Some of that is still there , but the grizzly Devastator Sergeant have grown more caring and less hateful but still ruthless and efficient in his job .
"Rodents huh ? I think I can help with that ." Harry said .
Lunch was a quiet affair that day . Not even Captain Thule said anything that might remotely ticked off the Devastator Marine . Finally , it was Avitus himself that broke the silence .
"It's just me or somebody is missing . Where's Harry ?" Came the usual grumble .
"I don't really know , I saw him in the animal pen just now though ." Thule answered . Just then , the door to the dining hall opened , revealing a dirt caked and tired Harry , who was sporting a wide grin on his face .
"HARRY ! What happened to you ? " Nunnally exclaimed upon seeing her friend , now brother , so dirtied .
"It's ok Nunnally , I just helped uncle Avitus with his rodent problem ." Harry cheerfully answered before turning to the Devastator Sergeant and said : "Come with me to the pen uncle Avitus ."
Avitus stand up silently , an unreadable expression on his face . The others also followed , mostly out of curiosity . As they entered the pen , they were met with a strange sight .
A huge pile of what seems to be hundreds of mouse , all shape and size stand proudly in front of the cow shed . Beside them , hissing happily , was two large king cobra , one black , one green . Avitus was speechless .
"I asked Slardar and Slithice to help in finding all those vermin . They are more than happy to oblige . Oh and they are also happy to help you check the field every week . Do you mind if they bring more friends ? " Harry said , obviously proud of what he did .
"Why didn't I think of this one ?" Grumbled Avitus . as he walked towards the pile of mouse , a grin slowly forming on his face .
"Nicely done , Harry ! I'm proud of you , but next time you should ask one of us first . " Captain Thule added .
"But I asked uncle Thaddeus !" Harry protested .
"Thaddeus is an idiot , so that doesn't count ." Apothecary Gordian added , earning himself a smack on the head by said idiot .
"What ? A joker who can't take a joke ?" Gordian continued .
At the back , Niven and Cyrus looked at Harry and whispered among themselves .
"Talking to snakes is quite a handy ability don't you think ?" Cyrus said . "Very useful for scouting ." He added .
"Sure it is , Cyrus . But I wondered how do he get it in the first place ?" Niven mused . "It's definitely is not a dangerous warp taint . " The Librarian added .
Dinner that day was spectacular . Slardar and Slithice claimed half of the pile as theirs , leaving the other half for Avitus to do as he wishes .
"Next up , we have the "Mouse Goulash " Avitus style ." Thaddeus introduced , bringing up a big bowl of goulash that looks red and creamy . When one look closely enough , he will see small mice's body parts littered in the stew .
"Tell Avitus to stop , this is the fifth dish already . We shouldn't eat too heavy a dinner . It's bad for sleeping , and the kids got school tomorrow ." Gordian told Thaddeus .
"Ok , Ok I'm stopping ." Came Avitus's voice from the kitchen , sounding extremely pleased .
He then swagger into the dining hall and sit down beside Harry and whispered to the raven haired boy .
"Do you think your two little friends like my cooking ?"
"No , they prefer living , struggling stuff ." Harry replied , thinking about his two familiars . The two snakes have grown bigger since Harry and them arrive on the Armageddon , way bigger than normally possible . Slardar now is 8 meters long and Slithice is close by , at 7,8 meters . Niven noticed this also and have been researching the cause . His conclusion after 5 weeks of testing , with the help of Gordian , is that when Harry display his power in the warehouse against the thug that tried to kill him , he unintentionally infused a large amount of warp energy into the two snakes nearby , transforming and mutating them in some ways . Beside the abnormal growth in size , the two snakes also have enhanced strength and agility beyond that of a normal king cobra . Slardar's venomous spit is found to be highly corrosive , able to eat through tough ceramic plate that was made with the same material with the Blood Ravens' power armor . Slithice's venom , on the other hand developed a highly adhesive ability , being able to glued a whole boxful of spare parts to the ceiling .
"Pity , I thought they could always use some more food ." Avitus said .
"Their share is more than enough to keep them occupied and well-fed for another fortnight , don't worry Uncle Avitus . " Harry reassure the Devastator Marine .
Down in the pen , two very happy snakes are having pillow talk .
"You know dear , the whole steady income of mice thing got me thinking ." Slithice said , untangling herself from her black mate after a bout of mating .
"Thinking about what , Honey ?" Slardar lazily asked .
"About us , about children ." Replied the olive green snake .
"Children ? " The black snake asked again , not believing his hearing .
"Yes , since now we can provide for them and they can help with the farm and stuff ." Slithice turned to look at her surprised mate . "But if you think it's not time then …"
"Do you know how long have I waited to hear that ?" Slardar asked , overjoyed . He then immediately jumped back to entangle her again .
And thus another day passed on the Armageddon .
2- Martellus
It was a weekday . The kids are at school , the Blood Ravens are all around the strike cruiser Armageddon , going about their own business , and all is quiet .
Well , not if you are a certain techmarine who is working in the ship's armory .
"Ooooh , that feels nice" Whine the bolt pistol that belong to Thaddeus as Martellus is cleaning it all over .
"I think he is getting off on this ." Martellus servo arm , which is perched on the left shoulder guard of his power armor , commented dryly .
"Shut up , you are distracting me ." Martellus spat out in binaric cant . "Get me the size 6 brush . " Martellus then ordered . The servo arm turned around , elongate itself and grabbed at the said brush on the next workbench .
It was maintenance day again . Once every two weeks , Martellus would give all the Blood Raven's wargear a complete check up and maintenance run , from scrubbing and cleaning to in-depth check up on performance .
"Techmarine , could you scrub that part at the end of my barrel harder , I there is something stuck there ." Avitus heavy bolter said .
"Techmarine , could you check my teeth ?." A chain sword , most probably Thaddeus , chimed .
"You know boss , I think you should teach your Brother to take care of their own wargear " The servo arm whined , obviously annoyed by all the incessant demand of the wargear present .
"I did , but these guys still want to come back with the reason : "My own boss maintenance is nothing like the touch of a Techmarine " . How can you argue with that ? I'm lucky enough that Avitus don't come to me to have his kitchen knives looked at ." The techmarine replied , frustration evident in his voice .
"But then again , isn't it my job to keep all the wargear and machine in working order . Omnissiah forgive me , I should not complain ." Martellus added , chastising himself .
"Don't say that boss , everybody got have RnR sometime ,even Techmarine like yourselves . I'm sure the Omnissiah will find you pretty useless when you are exhausted , so take rest sometimes ,have a snack , go watch TV or you could raid Thaddeus' comic stash or go online and surf or whatever .Come on , boss , I know you want to ." .
"All right all right , you annoying pest , you've convince me . I'm going to the deck hall ." MArtellus put the chain sword he was checking up back on the workbench , take off his power armor and headed towards the door .
"Sorry , people , I'll continue on you guys later ." Called the Techmarine before shutting the door .
The deck hall was quiet as usual . No one ever watch TV this time of the day . So Martellus sat down and grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on .
Half an hour into the science program that he was watching , a stream of binaric cant interrupted Martellus restive session .
"I feel filthy , I wish anyone could vacuum my back , it's getting itchy back there . " The TV said , not really expecting any answer .
Inside the Techmarine's mind , a debate is going on .
"You should fix it , make it feel comfortable . You have been using it after all ." A tiny techmarine in white power armor and have shining silver metal wings said .
"No , no ,no , you are on rest , let those who use it more clean it ." A tiny techmarine in black armor with glossy black metal wings retorted .
"But he is a Techmarine , it's his job . He'll have to do it ." The white one adamantly said .
"But he already said that he is going to take a break , as if maintaining wargears are not enough , he'll have to play handyman too ?" The black one questioned .
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP ! I'll decide for myself !" Bellowed Martellus before standing up and walk towards the TV .
"Which part does it feels itchy ?" He asked the TV in binaric .
It was at night and Martellus was tired . After the episode in the deck hall . He went to the kitchen and ended up fixing almost everything there . The same thing happened when he went to the training room and the Apothecarium . By dinner , Martellus was sure that he have pretty much fixed every single electronic apparel on the Armageddon .
"Damned my Techmarine nature to hell , I'm exhausted ."
"You look like a lump of scrap metal , boss . What happened ?." His servo arm greeted him .
"I wanted to rest and all that I find is more machine that need fixing and I ended up doing maintenance for all of them ." The techmarine answered tiredly .
"I think I'm fine , boss , so you could still surf the web with me ." His computer said , trying to cheer him up .
"Yeah , I think I'll do that" .
5 minutes later , Martellus was looking around random websites when an advertisement caught his eyes .
"Pen Pal Finder ? Sounds interesting , I guess as long as I watch what I said , then there shouldn't be any thing wrong right ? " Mused the techmarine as he typed in his particulars .
A couple of minutes later , a message arrived .
"Match found ? That was fast ." Martellus smiled as he read his new pen pal profile .
"Kenji Tenzai , 28 years old , business executive , Tenzai Industry . Like technology and science , computer games , sci-fi books and flying . Dislike noisy people , Chinese food and carelessness . " Martellus read . "Seems like my kind of guy . Maybe he could show me some good games to play ." Mused the techmarine as he began typing .
"Dear Kenji .
My name is Martellus , and Pen Pal Finder suggest you to me as a good pen pal . I hope we can be friends ….." .
And thus our techmarine can finally relax after a busy day .
So that's two small stories for your reading pleasure . Hope you enjoy them . Read and review please .
Question for you to ponder : What farm animal do you think Avitus have ?