Chapter 70 02.0070: "Carrying out His Will"

Two Sword-class frigates were speeding towards the pirates who were chasing the shipping lane cargo ship like hyenas.

These pirate ships were converted from various civilian ships, most of which were civilian ships called "clippers".

These ships were cheap, fast and unarmed, but pirates loved them and equipped them with some strange light artillery, specifically to plunder slow-moving transport ships.

Even near Abyss Port, dangers are still everywhere, from the Chaos fleet that infiltrated from the Eye of Terror to the pirates hiding in the asteroid belt, threatening the safety of the waterway at all times.

There are so many of these void thieves, hiding in various corners of the void and breeding.

Even if the Gothic Fleet regularly dispatched Viper-class reconnaissance ships to patrol the surrounding areas, it would be difficult to completely eliminate these "cockroaches".

"Report real-time parameters."

Commodore Edward Perroux sat on the captain's throne, and Captain Lord Stirling stood beside him, looking out into the dark void.

This was a common anti-piracy mission, known in the navy as a 'target shooting competition', as the weapons of these little pirates could not possibly break through the void shield of the frigate, making it a very suitable training opportunity for naval cadets.

Of course, Commodore Edwards came personally to fight the pirates because he discovered that these pirates had supplied weapons to suspicious gangs in the Vegas area.

Now these pirates were robbing a cargo ship carrying military supplies, and he caught them red-handed.

"Distance to escort target 8570 kilometers, closing rate positive 2.1, bearing +327, phase ZL, moving from port to starboard."

Horatio sat at the display console closest to the captain's throne, reporting information in an orderly manner.

Normally this position was the throne of the captain of the operations department, but now Horatio sat here, with a captain standing beside him to guide him in operating the instruments.

Archie sat a little further away, with Fideo standing next to the gunner, Leidos was responsible for assessing the fire risk and arranging the damage control team in place in advance, and the fully armed Louise was arranging the key defenses of the integrated bridge, engine, and life support system room and the dispatch of anti-jump help personnel.

But the missions of the latter two this time were more like exercises. After all, these little pirates couldn't penetrate the void shield at all, let alone board the regular frigates of the Imperial Navy.

Each person is supervised and guided by officers from their original positions. They do not intervene actively, but only correct the trainees in a timely manner when they make mistakes.

"Lock on the target, three illegally modified speedboats. The ship is allowed to travel at a speed of 12 void knots. It is expected to reach the close-range artillery range (about 5 kilometers) in 481 minutes." Horatio looked at the data briefing sent by the student operating the auspex and reported to the captain, Commodore Edward Peru.

"Alright, close in to short range before opening fire! Have the 'Courageous Warrior' outflank and intercept them. Don't let these scum escape. This ship will take on the main task of engaging the enemy."

Horatio quickly sent precise reference route coordinates to friendly ships for the captain of the 'Brave Warrior' to refer to, and thought about the attack route alone, and then sent the next combat responsibilities to each department one by one.

If the battleship is a human body, Commodore Edward is the brain, Horatio is the cerebellum, Fideo is the fist, Leidos is the platelet, and Louise is the white blood cell. It is because of this that a battleship several kilometers long can stop the enemy of mankind in the void.

"Turret No. 1, No. 2, single-shot calibration fire." Horatio gave combat orders to Fideo, the gunner.

"Target locked, calibration completed, single shot test, estimated ballistic dispersion 2 kilometers, hit rate 98.98%, fire!"

"Single-shot test firing, fire!" The order to fire was transmitted to the gun control center of the two light twin-mounted macro-gun batteries. After receiving the order, the battery sergeant there yelled at the macro-gun operator at the top of his lungs to fire.

boom!boom!
With two earth-shaking roars, Horatio felt the entire command bridge tremble. He could clearly see the orange-blue flames spewing out from the bow turret.

Even the light macro cannons, these huge cannons produced in the Abyss Port Foundry Enclave were carefully crafted by technical priests. Each shell engraved with the Sky Eagle emblem was like shooting out a huge spire castle. It was a fierce firepower that those speedboats could never stop.

Two shells hit the middle of a clipper ship directly, violently knocking it off course and breaking its balancing rudder, causing it to tumble uncontrollably in the air like a spindle with its line cut off.

"Hit! Target A1 has lost its ability to move and fight." The student in charge of lookout gave feedback.

"Turret No. 2 continues to fire at target A1, and Turret No. turns to the new target," said Brigadier General Edward.

"After turret No. 1 fires at the original target, turn to target A3." Horatio issued a new order.

"We have received the surrender signal from target A1." the trainee at the communications station shouted.

"Blow it up! I don't want to waste the gallows." Brigadier General Edward said mercilessly.

"Yes!" Some nervous students immediately cut off the communication request. "Remember, don't waste your troops to board the ships of ordinary pirates! Such treacherous bastards will bite you at any time before they die." Brigadier General Edward shouted.

"Fire!"

Violent explosions and macrocannon fire lit up the void.
-
"Well done, ladies and gentlemen. We have wiped out all the pirates without any casualties. Captain Sterling, compile the battle report and the navigation log."

Commodore Edward stepped onto the deck of the starport and spoke solemnly to the cadets and his first mate, then he looked at Horatio.

"Mr. Horatio, Captain Sterling and I are very satisfied with your performance today. Major General Hood has approved your proposal to develop an underground intelligence network in Vegas."

"Thank you for your hard work, sir."

"All great actions are carried out in secret. We cannot alert others to the actions of the navy, so you need to hide your identity."

"Going there in a military uniform will only make them distrust me."

Brigadier General Edward nodded.

"If you need any resources, you can tell us directly. We will try to satisfy you as quickly as possible. However, I cannot praise the speed of the Empire's administrative process in mobilizing materials. Therefore, we allow you to use a little 'tactics', just like you did before, to alleviate the urgent need."

Sir Edward Perroux had hinted very well, and Horatio knew exactly what he meant by the little 'trick'.

"We will also send someone to assist you once the situation is appropriate."

"But what about the Hive Marshals? The Hive Marshals there are both black and white. Once we use force to cut off their breast milk, they will definitely come to our door. If we use the Navy's credentials, the news of the Navy's involvement in the Vegas area will spread quickly."

Brigadier General Edward seemed to be prepared. He smiled calmly and took out a small object from his arms and handed it to Horatio.

When Horatio looked closely, he couldn't help but gasp.

It was a small and inconspicuous ornament, but it represented the highest power license of the empire - the Inquisitor's Rose Knot.

With this in hand, he would be fine even if he killed the bailiffs from the Ministry of Justice, let alone the bailiffs from the Hive City.

Due to the great power of this item, only strictly selected Inquisitors and the Inquisitors' most trusted confidants can hold it.

"Where did you get it, sir?" Horatio asked in a low voice, looking at the bright red ornament.

"An old friend of mine. When I was young, I escorted an Inquisitor who was very different. Eventually, we became friends. This replica is a token of his love for me, and of course, it also gives me a special mission to serve the Emperor."

Brigadier General Perroux handed Horatio the scarlet rose of the Inquisition:
"Apart from commanding warships, I can no longer kill demons. I wanted to pass this mark to your father. Now, I transfer the power and obligations it contains to you, Thomas' son, Spyr's descendant. With the permission of that adult, your genetic sequence has been recorded in it. Don't worry and take it."

Horatio didn't expect that the man in front of him had such an identity - an attendant of the Inquisition.

As the agent of the God-Emperor, the Inquisitor has the power to mobilize all resources and personnel of the Empire. Those who have served the Inquisitor for a long time and have undergone rigorous tests of loyalty will receive such a replica as the authority and reward to perform their duties on his behalf.

From officers to common people, these trusted servants who serve the Inquisitor are collectively called 'Inquisition Attendants'.

Horatio heard that if an unauthorized person picked up the mark, they would be injected with a neurotoxin by the poison needle contained within, causing them to die suddenly.

"Seeing this is like seeing the Emperor. Anyone who dares to obstruct or leak it will be regarded as defying His will and will be killed without mercy."

Horatio accepted the seal and bowed.

Brigadier General Edward patted Horatio on the shoulder.

"In His service to the Imperium, Inquisitor Horatio Cochrane."

　There are a lot of battles in the future! Battles! Battles! Battles, it’s awesome! Start killing!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)