Chapter 188 03.0187: "The people just need to accept it, but our imperial bureaucrats have a lot to consider."

I don’t know how much time has passed.

When Horatio opened his eyes again, he found that he was covered with a blanket.

The feeling of the stimulant wearing off was not pleasant; he felt as if a lead ball was hanging on his brain.

He rubbed his temple and slowly turned his eyes away.

Farida stood fully armed in front of the Emperor's portrait, with only her back visible.

"Farida...? Are you okay? Uh..." He stood up slowly, swinging his scabbard and patting it on his trouser leg.

Farida said nothing, her eyes fixed on the Emperor's statue.

As a time traveler, Horatio knew that it was a portrait of the Emperor in the 30K era when he was still walking on earth.

But...why was she staring at me like that?
And the look in her eyes...

Horatio was not mistaken, Farida's eyes were as bright as an eagle's, quite similar to her father, Lieutenant General Hood.

"Mr. Horatio, we have arrived at the starport. Please be prepared to disembark." Her tone was cold and her voice became mature due to its hoarseness.

She turned and walked toward the door, turning to look at Horatio as she passed him.

The resolute eyes, the voice that became mature due to the hoarseness, the awe-inspiring temperament that made evil retreat.

Horatio thought he was hallucinating the wrong person, but she was indeed Farida Hood, the lieutenant general's daughter, and she was increasingly taking on her father's spirit.

[What happened to her? She seems like a different person.]
The two of them walked out together, in silence and stillness, with only the sound of heavy boots on the ground.

In the bridge passage, Commodore Peru and Lieutenant Sterling were waiting for the two men.

"Your Excellency." Horatio saluted the Commodore.

"Mr. Horatio, Miss Hood, you will take her back. The Admiralty has sent guards to escort you."

Then he looked at the girl whose eyes were still red and swollen but with a determined look, and said in a comforting tone: "The accident is still under investigation, and the Sacred Will will be towed back to Abyss Port. Nothing has been determined yet, please don't give up hope..."

Farida said nothing, but saluted solemnly.

Brigadier General Peru sighed, looked at Horatio, and continued to say to him: "Don't forget, tomorrow."

Horatio nodded.

[I will see the judge tomorrow.]
"Let's go." The brigadier general patted Horatio on the shoulder and sighed.

Several senior boatswains blew long and sharp whistles, and the armed sailors standing in two rows raised their guns to their shoulders and saluted the captain as he disembarked.
-
"Mr. Horatio, I'm leaving Miss Hood in your care." After coming out of the void elevator dedicated to naval officers at the star port, Commodore Peru did not forget to remind Horatio.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency the Commodore, I will make sure she gets home safely," Horatio said.

"Also, don't forget about tomorrow."

"Of course not."

Then he supported Farida, who was still a little dazed, and walked towards the special car carrying the Hood family.

Four void blue escort shuttles sandwiched the special car in the middle, and each car was filled with fully armed guards.

The special car was driven automatically by the machine soul. Horatio and Farida sat in the back seat. There was only the young couple in the car, no one else.

The hovercraft slowly rose up. Farida sat upright and turned her head to look out the window. The street scene was prosperous, combining the medieval Gothic style with the postmodern metropolitan night scene of Abyss Port.

It was already midnight, and this long and difficult day was finally over.

"Are you feeling better now?" Horatio sat down beside her, took the sword off its shoulder strap, and laid it across his legs to prevent the blade and guard from hitting her.

"Yes." Farida answered simply.

It was so straightforward that Horatio didn't know how to bring up the topic.

"Ms. Hood, think positively. You have seen the fleet command throne. It is so high and has bulletproof and shrapnel-proof structures.

The explosion may not have injured Lieutenant General Hood, but he was trapped in the wreckage. We may find him tomorrow after we clear the wreckage of the lower combat intelligence command center."

Although Farida remained silent, her breathing was even, and her green eyes, which were looking at the city scenery outside, never blinked, and she seemed to be thinking about something.

Horatio was no longer able to speak. When the effect of the stimulant wore off, his eyelids felt as if they were weighed down by lead weights, and after taking a nap in Farida's bedroom, he felt more sleepy than if he had never slept at all.

Now he just wanted to lie on the soft big bed and have a good sleep.
-
Gothic Sector Admiralty.

Lord Admiral Venusca Catalia watched Horatio's performance throughout the naval battle alone in his Admiralty office.

She got these top-secret videos first. As the current head of the Gothic Fleet, she had to personally supervise the career and professional quality assessment of the descendants of this legendary admiral for the future of the fleet.

Sharp eyes watched his every move, and keen ears caught every command Horatio issued and the timing of the command.

She watched this young man from beginning to end, from commanding the artillery fort, to fighting against the enemy, to rescuing the bomb bay crisis, to blockade and interception, and then to encirclement and annihilation.

Although Horatio only went to the artillery fort and had no experience in other departments, as part of the comprehensive combat command, the macro artillery fort happened to be the most comprehensive test that could best reflect a trainee officer's psychological quality, professional knowledge, correct decision-making, adaptability, and courage.

This is why every candidate officer must go to the macro artillery array to participate in a naval battle before taking the naval lieutenant examination.

Many people started from the relatively safe rear departments in the core area, but Horatio was sent directly to the gun deck by Brigadier General Peru, which obviously meant a cross-level inspection.

On the desk in front of the Lord Admiral, there was a long consecration parchment.

The Lord Admiral himself was writing something on parchment as he read.

In the candlelight, one could vaguely make out the title: "Recommendation for the recommendation of candidate officer Horatio Cochrane of the Gothic Fleet to obtain the qualification of a commissioned officer without examination."

The long piece of parchment listed Horatio's academic performance in the military academy, exercise assessments, actual combat experience and other evidence from many aspects. It also came with his military academy assessment transcript and a leather bag for carrying videotapes.

He also wrote about his role as a descendant of Speyer and the importance he had on the morale of the fleet and the public opinion at the Abyss Harbor anchorage.

Three names have already been signed on this piece of paper.

They are the department's direct officers: Captain Lord Pringle Sterling.

Captain: Commodore Edward Perroux, captain of the Doomsday-class battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable.

Alexander Hood, Commander in Chief of Military Intelligence Command of the Gothic Fleet.

The vacant spaces were filled with the signatures of at least three senior captains and herself, the supreme commander of the Gothic Fleet.

She is considering recommending a nomination for the legendary descendant.

This letter of recommendation will determine whether Horatio can be exempted from the test and obtain the commission as an officer of the Imperial Navy.

If successful, he would be the only Imperial Navy officer in the Gothic Fleet in the 41st millennium to obtain a commission signed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief without taking an exam.

But before that, Horatio had to get approval from at least three senior captains.
-
Alexander Hood's official residence.

The hovercraft slowly landed on the helipad behind Farida's mansion.

Several shuttles also landed nearby.

The guards inside were sent by the Admiralty to reinforce the defense of Vice Admiral Hood's residence.

They are equipped with heavy weapons and even have automatic cannons.

At the outer gate of the official residence, two inky black Leman Russ tanks belonging to the Imperial Law Department were standing guard outside the gate.

They not only protected Miss Hood's safety, but also played a surveillance role.

On the sky garden platform where many high-ranking imperial officials live, there is a patrol team every 500 meters.

Martial law and curfew have been imposed in the Spire District, prohibiting anyone from going out on the streets late at night. Violators will be immediately arrested or shot on the spot.

The citizens and nobles had no idea what was happening or why the curfew was suddenly imposed.

In fact, after the news of Vice Admiral Hood's assassination reached the Ministry of the Interior of the Gothic Star Sector, it attracted great attention from the Minister of the Interior and the entire Gothic Fleet.

If a vice admiral could be assassinated today, who could guarantee that tomorrow it wouldn’t be anyone in the Ministry of the Interior, even his own Minister of the Interior?

The minister himself was wearing pajamas and meeting with senior officials of relevant departments.

In particular, Jim Hanke, the Secretary of State for Civil Service, who was responsible for handling such situations, and his senior aide Sir Humphrey and Chief Secretary Bernard were all called to his official residence for a meeting to discuss the matter.

In the end, the entire news was concealed within the upper echelons of the star zone imperial government, and was "selectively reported", with good news reported as much as possible while avoiding bad news.

This is not only because Lieutenant General Hood's life or death is still unknown, making it difficult to report.

More importantly, several judges of the Inquisition will come to Abyss Port to conduct investigations in the near future.

If the matter was reported hastily, the imperial bureaucrats would only get into trouble.

On this point, their interests are consistent with those of the Imperial Navy.

After all, the Imperial Navy is an independent branch under the Ministry of the Interior.

Under the bond of interests, the bureaucrats of the empire could not break away from the relationship. The official hats turned them into grasshoppers tied to a string.

So the whole incident was trimmed like cutting flowers, quickly and promptly by the Ministry of the Interior with unimaginable efficiency overnight.

The Imperial Secretariat of Abyss Port worked all night long, with hundreds of clerks locked in the court to discuss how to write the press release for the public portion.

They will be sealed here until the investigation is completed to ensure that those who know the whole thing are controlled in an appropriate area.

At this moment, human lives and the pain of the victims' families were processed in a digitized, formulaic and theoretical way.

As senior aide Sir Humphrey said in his final words during the meeting at Minister's Residence:

"The people only need to accept the 'facts', but our imperial bureaucrats have a lot to consider."

(End of this chapter)