Chapter 29 02.0029: "First Arrival at the Navy Department"

The Imperium of Man, millions of worlds scattered across an inhospitable galaxy.

Millions of worlds are perpetually threatened by cursed traitors and treacherous xenos.

It was an empire consumed by war, fighting for survival.

Because there is no peace among the stars.

The fearless genetically engineered warriors, the Space Marines.

Lead humanity in every counterattack and strike straight into the heart of the enemy.

From the Mechanicus' forge world filled with terrifying fog, warships with astonishing combat power sailed out.

Their weapons are blessed by Mecha-God, and their crews are dedicated to Mecha-God's holy cause.

And Zhongsi College.

From brats to leaders: officers of the greatest fleet the stars have ever seen - the Imperial Navy.

These heroes risk their lives to defend the Imperium, fighting the never-ending threat of Chaos everywhere.

For the future of the galaxy lies the war between the Dark Gods and their worshippers.

It is mankind's eternal battle.

This is where true heroes are forged and legends are made.

Admiral Speyer is a legend, he is the savior of the Gothic Sector.

Conqueror of Warmaster Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade.

He pursued his enemies into the warp.

For centuries, he was lost and never heard from again, vanishing in the ebb and flow of immaterial space.

As the only surviving descendant of Speyer, Horatio followed the navy and boarded the Valkyrie transport to the Admiralty in the Gothic Sector.

Farida Hood, the daughter of a naval commander and the person who provided clues, also came aboard.

As an important aviation force of the empire, Valkyrie is just as its name suggests, like a nimble Valkyrie, flying through the crowded mid-nest at an astonishing speed and rushing straight to the surface.

The first rays of sunlight in the early morning shone through the Valkyrie's observation window, making Horatio, who had been in darkness all night, feel a little uncomfortable.

"So... my father, he died in the line of duty?" Horatio, who had thought he could live a good life from then on, felt a pang in his heart.

"I'm sorry, I have no right to know about this matter. My mission is to bring you to the Admiralty safely." The captain sitting opposite politely avoided his question.

[A death in the line of duty that no one has the right to know about? …]
After a while, the Valkyrie transport plane entered hovering mode.

The side door of the cabin was opened, and the navy captain in a neatly dressed uniform was the first to stand up and jump off the plane.

"Please come in, Miss Hood. I am your father's second captain, and he is resting in the office." The captain took off his bicorne hat and saluted with a smile, then stretched out his hand to help the lady off the plane.

"He was in a meeting all night?" Farida jumped off the shuttle by herself.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Does he know about this?"

"We don't know yet, but it's only a matter of time before we know. Nothing can be hidden from the Navy Military Intelligence Command."

"Okay, who's the person who's in charge of this guy's affairs?"

"The Lord Captain of the Indefatigable has arrived. Please come this way, Miss. You can rest first."

"No need, I'll go and see what's going on too."

Farida frowned and looked at Horatio who got off the fighter plane.

What comes into view is a wide and huge dedicated aircraft and ship platform, where various imperial military aviation vehicles are parked, giving it a very sci-fi feel.

The sun was halfway up, and it was about seven in the morning on Terra. [Have I been fighting underground for so long...] Horatio was exhausted, blinking his eyes and observing his surroundings.

Everyone who saw him couldn't help but frown.

Yes, he was wearing dirty armor of the Ministry of Justice, his face was covered with filth and fatigue, and he looked very sloppy on the Admiralty's platform where officers and nobles were walking all over the place.

"Let's go. Congratulations, your bet was right. You are indeed the heir of the navy, but something seems to have gone wrong compared to expectations. You have become the loyal heir of the navy. Please accept my condolences and hope you won't be too sad." Farida shrugged and comforted.

Horatio sighed in response, his lips curled up, and he was speechless.

As he stood on the dock, Horatio could see the towering main building of Zhongsi College not far away, with the huge Imperial Sky Eagle emblem shining brightly in the sunlight.

Only children whose parents died heroically in the service of the empire would be sent here to study and train.

It is the official "orphanage" of the empire, serving as both a school and a military academy.

He also heard that Zhongsi College was an extremely dark and cruel place.

Even with a few exceptions - for example, the school attended by Military Supervisor Kane was a little more relaxed and more like a standard modern military academy, in most other loyal academies, more than 40% of the students did not survive graduation.

They either died in battle or were beaten to death by cruel and brutal instructors and monks.

Corporal punishment and bullying are commonplace at Zhongsi Academy.

Someone would definitely ask, what if I don't go to school? Is this the only way to go? Do the children of the nobility have to go in too?
That’s right, as long as both parents died while serving the empire, no matter how high their official position was, they were all loyal heirs and had to go to school.

From the moment they become loyal heirs, except for those being trained by the Ministry of the Interior, the rest of the children will be incorporated into the Imperial Armed Forces just like Horatio. Not going to school is tantamount to evading military service, and the only outcome is death or a tragic death.

The broad definition of Zhongsi also fundamentally determines that there are all kinds of students in Zhongsi Academy. Children whose parents are both soldiers will even sit in the same classroom and receive education with children whose parents are both high-ranking officials. In a sense, they achieve equality.

However, this equality is relative.

The loyal descendants of the nobility will not be abused by the instructors and monks, and with their good political and military education resources, it will be easier for them to get officer positions.

This place is more like society than any school, and it even has a bit of the flavor of a dark forest.

Horatio heard that military cadets had to shoot at least one alumnus in person before they could graduate, which was a terrible joke from hell.

[Okay, okay, relax, maybe this Zhongsi Academy is different...] Horatio secretly encouraged himself in his heart.

"Let's go, there's nothing to see. You'll have plenty of time to look around later."

Horatio turned around and followed the captain and the huntswoman who were waiting for him towards the Gothic Admiralty that looked like a sword rising into the sky.

He had never seen such an imposing building, its huge shadow covering an area of ​​hundreds of kilometers behind the Ministry of the Admiralty.

It seems that only the Gothic Cathedral can be compared with it on the entire planet. Both of them have direct access to the universe and connect to their own dedicated starport ships.

One docks with the pilgrim ship and the other docks with the warship.

The corridors of the Admiralty are spacious and luxurious. The floor tiles are made of smooth marble with rich patterns. Every five meters there are symmetrically placed collection tables, on which are placed various collections collected by officers from the starry sea.

The Admiralty was bustling with people, and everywhere you looked you saw either officers in the blue and white uniforms of the Imperial Navy or civil servants in the robes of the Ministry of the Interior with serious expressions.

Horatio followed behind the two of them, and every officer approaching would take the initiative to salute the huntress.

Apparently, given her family's reputation, knowing the faces of members of the Hood family had become almost a compulsory course for officers of the Gothic Fleet.

Horatio felt secretly jealous, he obviously had a father who was amazing, but how come he died in the line of duty before the news became widely known?

"The Navy's Successor Office is ahead," the captain said to Horatio who was following behind him.

Horatio looked forward and saw dozens of naval officers standing in front of the door waiting.

"Is this the child of Colonel Thomas Cochrane, the only descendant of Admiral Speyer?" An officer who was talking to others asked when he saw the three people coming.

"Yes, it's him."

"All salute!"

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(End of this chapter)