Cooking

Ferrus woke hungry. It was quiet in the residence, and he realized that something was off. He couldn't smell breakfast. The kitchen servitor was away for routine blessing and assessment of the machine-spirit. The Mechanicum insisted that only the best servitors could serve the Omnissiah.
However, there should have been the sounds and smells of cooking. The Emperor always cooked for the Primarchs during the day long process for the servitor. Sometimes Fulgrim would join him.
Heading out, Ferrus located a note from the Emperor on the table in the living room. It stated that he had been called away before he could start breakfast. It also stated Horus was in charge. The Emperor had been doing that more as the Primarchs got older.
I can make oatmeal for everyone Ferrus thought. Fulgrim was the chef, but he was always trying to get Ferrus into it. The way Ferrus understood it, oatmeal was fairly simple to make. They had a large can of oats that would be perfect. He could also add some of the fruits that they had just received a few days before. It'll be a nice surprise for the others.
He carefully dug out a large pot from a cupboard. Next was the can of oatmeal. He needed to know how much water to put in. The Primarchs liked their oatmeal at about the same consistency, which made things easier for Ferrus. He could make one batch, and those that wanted their oatmeal altered could do so themselves.
The kitchen counters were tall, meant for the servitor and the Emperor to use, not the Primarchs. However, Fulgrim had worked out a system so that he could cook himself. Ferrus was happy for that system right then. He figured out how much water that he needed and added it to the pot.
He brought the water up to a boil and then added the oatmeal. He began to stir it, trying to keep it from sticking. It also helped to make sure that all of the oatmeal got wet. As the oatmeal got thicker, he started adding fruit. He opted to add them whole so that everyone could find them. Turning down the heat he decided to taste it, and make sure that it was edible. It was his first time cooking anything, so he didn't want it to be terrible.
It's not sweet enough Ferrus thought sugar, maybe? He reached for the sugar and added a pinch.
This was a huge mistake.
There was a loud banging sound. Ferrus almost didn't notice it as flames flashed in his face. He threw his arm across his face, throwing himself backwards to avoid the fire. There were sparks and the sugar on the counter caught fire as well. An alarm went off, and Ferrus realized that his attempt at cooking had completely failed.

*******************

The events in the kitchen turned the Emperor's residence into a proverbial black hole. A group of Custodians heard the explosion and the alarm that followed it. A Sister of Silence had also heard and joined them. The other Primarchs of course were awake in an instant. None of them noticed the note from the Emperor as they rushed over to the kitchen.

Fulgrim and Vulkan went in first. Vulkan at least in part because there was active fire, that was always a draw for him. Fulgrim had gone in for two reasons; one was that it was the kitchen where he could cook, and the second was because Ferrus had been unaccounted for when the Primarchs all came out.

They found Ferrus sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Fire didn't bother him, but he was very taken aback by the failure of his cooking project. Vulkan went to take care of the fire, Fulgrim led Ferrus out of the kitchen.

"Is everyone alright?" Gerryn asked as he and his fellows entered the residence. Most of the Primarchs indicated that they were alright. Ferrus remained quiet. 

"Vulkan is probably trying to put the fire out," Corvus told Quellen who was clearly doing a head count on the Primarchs. The Custodian nodded, Fellnor went inside the kitchen, sending Vulkan back out.

"Are you alright, Lord Manus?" Gerryn asked. Fulgrim looked concerned at his brother.

"I failed," Ferrus said quietly, his voice shook and a tear rolled down his face. Fulgrim and Gerryn shared a glance.

"I don't think he's physically hurt," Fulgrim said.

"I'll make contact with the Emperor," Bryth said. 

I will assure others that the situation is under control Sister Kaelana signed. 

"Thank you," Gerryn said. Sister Kaelana headed back out of the residence. Crowd control was going to be important. 

"It's alright, Ferrus," Fulgrim said. "What happened?"

"I was trying to make oatmeal for everyone," Ferrus whispered. "And I failed."

"Why were you trying to make oatmeal?" Fulgrim asked. "Why wasn't Father helping?" 

"Where is Father?" Horus asked.

"C-called away," Ferrus said with a slight hitch in his voice. "There's a note on the table."

"He's right," Konrad said, holding it up. "Says that you're in charge, Horus."

"I-it was supposed to b-be a surprise," Ferrus said. The full reality of his failure was beginning to sink in. 

"It's alright," Fulgrim repeated, trying to calm Ferrus. "You aren't hurt, that's what is really important."

"B-but, the ki-kitchen is in shambles," Ferrus sobbed. 

"We can be patient," Fulgrim said. "Right, guys?"

"I'll try," Angron said. His temper was famous for being even shorter when he was very hungry. The other Primarchs nodded that they could be patient.

"Your father will be here in just a few moments," Bryth said. "I'm sure that he will be able to set things right."

"Probably," Horus said.

"Fire's out," Fellnor said as he came back out of the kitchen. 

"I'll check out the damage," Perturabo said. 

"I'll come with you," Vulkan said. "I don't think it's too bad though. The fire was mostly in the sugar container."

"That's good," Perturabo said as the two went into the kitchen. 

"I'll stay here until our master arrives," Gerryn said. "Unless one of you wants to be the one who stays."

"I was the one to make contact with him," Bryth said. "I will stay."

"Very well," Gerryn said. The other Custodians departed. Quellen stopped to make sure that Sister Kaelana knew that the Emperor would be arriving momentarily, and that the need for crowd control was over.

"Thank you for staying," Horus said to Bryth. "You don't have to though."

"I'm staying for a few reasons," Bryth said. "One of them is that it's protocol, there's been an event that resulted in a weak point. The other is that Lord Manus at least seems rather shaken by this. While I'm not one of the usual Custodians, I am one."

"It does provide a sense of security," Roboute said, following Bryth's logic. "You are known to us, and with Father absent, it's important to have some sense of normalcy."

"Agreed," Fulgrim said. He had his arm around the quietly sobbing Ferrus. "It might not be helping Ferrus, but it's helping the rest of us."

"What happened?" the Emperor asked, sweeping into the room. 

"Lord Manus seems to have had an accident in the kitchen, my king," Bryth responded. 

"Are you alright, Ferrus?" the Emperor asked, it was clear that the other Primarchs were alright.

"I failed, Father," Ferrus said quietly. He had managed to stop sobbing, but was still upset.

"Where are Perturabo and Vulkan?" the Emperor asked the others as he sat next to Ferrus.

"Assessing the damage to the kitchen," Corvus said. "There was a bit of a fire."

"I see," the Emperor said. "What exactly happened, Ferrus?" 

"I was trying to make breakfast," Ferrus said. "I read your note, and decided I could surprise my brothers."

"What were you trying to make?" the Emperor asked.

"Oatmeal," Ferrus said. "Fulgrim made it look easy and it's simple to make a lot of it."

"Where did it go wrong?"

"I tasted it," Fulgrim said. "I thought that it needed to be sweeter, and so I tried to add sugar to it."

"The burner was still on wasn't it," the Emperor said gently. Ferrus nodded, folding tighter into himself.

"The stove is pretty damaged," Perturabo announced as he and Vulkan came back into the living room. 

"The pot is a loss," Vulkan said. "However, the counter didn't take too much damage."

"What about the sugar container?" Fulgrim asked. 

"Gone," Perturabo said. "I think Fellnor trashed it when he put the fire out."

"That is easily replaced," the Emperor said. "The stove is a bit more difficult, however."

"I can try and fix it," Ferrus said, perking up a bit. "That's something I should be able to do."

"Indeed it is," the Emperor said. "Cooking will come in time."

"But Fulgrim can cook," Ferrus said, ducking his head again. "It's not an issue for him."

"I've burned things before," Fulgrim said. "It may not be quite the same, but it isn't always easy."

"I've never had anything that you've made that was burned," Ferrus protested. 

"That's because I throw it away," Fulgrim said. 

"You do?" Ferrus said. "That sounds rather wasteful."

"It is," Fulgrim said. "But I never want to give people something inedible. If we can't eat it, normal people certainly can't."

"That's true," Ferrus admitted.

"Let's take a look at what's left of the stove," the Emperor said to Ferrus. The two stood up.

"Father?" Angron asked as the Emperor stood on the threshold of the kitchen. "I'm hungry."

"I'll get something out to you all in a few minutes," the Emperor said. There were few options that didn't involve the main Palace kitchens, but they did exist. 

"Thank you, Father," Angron said.

The Emperor and Ferrus went into the kitchen, taking in the destruction.

"That's pretty bad," Ferrus said. 

"Indeed," the Emperor said. "Do you want help with repairs?"

"Possibly," Ferrus said.

"Let me get your brothers fed," the Emperor said. "You should also have something to eat."

"I'll find something for myself," Ferrus said. 

"Alright," the Emperor said. At least he won't eat the oatmeal off the floor, he thought. Freki and Geri had thankfully been with Leman when the explosion happened. When Leman came out, he had sent Freki and Geri outside to keep them safe.

Ferrus set about disconnecting the stove unit from its power source. It became clear to him that he needed a pair of servitors to remove the unit entirely and repair it outside of the residence.

"I'm going to have to take this out of here to fix it, Father," Ferrus announced.

"That is very understandable," the Emperor said. He had food in his hands. "I'll join you once I've dealt with your brothers."

"Alright," Ferrus said. He summoned the servitors required and headed off to the forges. 

*******************

"How go the repairs?" the Emperor asked as he entered. 

"Well, I don't have to build it again from scratch," Ferrus said. "I'm surprised at how much damage that pot did to the stove though."

"It is rather impressive," the Emperor said with a chuckle. 

"I'll find it funny at some point, right?" Ferrus asked as he continued to work.

"Most likely," the Emperor replied. "Just give it a bit of time."

"Really?" Ferrus asked.

"Really," the Emperor said. "You are far from the only person who's blown up a kitchen trying to make oatmeal."

"It does seem like the mark of a really bad cook," Ferrus said.

"You didn't burn the water," the Emperor said with a chuckle.

"What?" Ferrus asked, pausing his work to gape at the Emperor.

"It is possible to burn water," the Emperor said. "It takes a special skill to do it on accident though."

"But water can't burn," Ferrus insisted. "It's why we use it to put fires out."

"It's true that water doesn't burn in the way you understand," the Emperor said.

"The way Vulkan likes," Ferrus said with his own chuckle.

"Yes," the Emperor said. "But you can boil water over, and that can make a mess and damage things."

"That doesn't sound good," Ferrus said. "Though I did destroy the pot that I was using."

"It happens," the Emperor said. 

"You don't destroy pots when you cook," Ferrus said, sounding sad again.

"I don't," the Emperor agreed. "But I have also been cooking for much longer than you have."

"So you've already blown up your pots?" Ferrus asked.

"I blew up an oven cleaning it once," the Emperor said. "Never any pots though."

"How do you blow up an oven cleaning it?" Ferrus asked. He gave the Emperor a disbelieving look at that.

"In M2 and M3 some ovens were self-cleaning," the Emperor explained. "They would heat up and burn away stuck on food. However, if you have a very dirty oven it creates a lot of smoke. The doors were supposed to lock during the cleaning cycle, but that didn't always work if the oven was older."

"You opened the door of an oven that was self-cleaning?" Ferrus asked. That didn't seem like something that the Emperor would do. It was clearly a bad idea.

"I hadn't encountered one before," the Emperor admitted. "I was under the impression that it worked differently."

"You learned that quickly," Ferrus said. "What happened?"

"The fire alarm went off and everyone had to go outside," the Emperor. "It was a barracks type building."

"That probably didn't make you popular," Ferrus said.

"Indeed," the Emperor chuckled. They finished the repairs to the stove, then worked together to get it back to the residence.

"Yay!" Fulgrim cheered as the Emperor hooked up the oven again. 

"Is that a yay for the stove or for me?" Ferrus asked.

"Both," Fulgrim said. "You fixed the stove."

"I also broke it," Ferrus said. 

"It's a great story though," Lorgar pointed out.

"I guess," Ferrus said with a chuckle.