Horatio let out a long, satisfying breath and jumped off the Chaos Spawn's corpse.
Soon after, the fleshy carcass, along with the bloodstains, slowly transformed into eerie ashes, which were then swept into the black dust covering the ground, disappearing without a trace, much like the style of a certain blue bird who enjoyed putting on a show.
"The interference... it's gone," Farida said hesitantly, staring blankly at the beeping communication device.
"I apologize for startling you, Miss Hood."
Horatio took out the handkerchief Farida had lent him earlier.
After being cleaned in the sink, it had dried out from being carried on his person for so long.
"You... you bastard, that was really... you scared me to death," she said, gasping and speaking in a small, broken voice for the last few words, but Horatio still heard her.
[Oh, so she's afraid of death after all.]
Horatio smiled and stepped forward, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
However, it was too dark around them for this action to be seen.
"You must keep what happened today a secret, Horatio.
Once it leaks that you saw a Chaos Spawn, we will be forcibly brainwashed and our memories erased, and you will certainly be shot by an Inquisitor," Farida said, trembling.
"Yes, I know."
As a transmigrator, Horatio naturally knew how extremely conservative the Empire's nature was.
To curb the Warp's infiltration, there was no sacrifice too great to be unacceptable, and no betrayal small enough to be tolerated.
Suddenly, several strong beams of light shone down from above, making Horatio, holding the handkerchief, and Farida beside him the sole focus of the entire scene.
Several Adeptus Arbites shuttles appeared overhead, and a chilling warning blared from the ear-splitting loudspeakers:
'Drop your weapons and surrender, or we will open fire immediately.'
The shuttle doors opened, and a large group of fully armed Adeptus Arbites marshals rappelled down from the shuttles into the area, some of them even elite members of the 'Sudden Death' Kill-teams.
Some rushed to assist the injured Arbitrator Inspector Shawi, while others quickly fanned out, surrounding Horatio.
Countless laser sights from their gun barrels illuminated Horatio's chest; with a single command, he could be riddled with holes in a second.
"Take your guns away! I am..." Farida stepped forward and shouted, but before she could finish, Horatio pressed her shoulder and pushed her behind him.
"Miss Hood, you know what the 'Sudden Death' Kill-teams signify, don't you?
If this continues, even with your distinguished background, it could be detrimental to you."
To avoid implicating the young woman behind him, Horatio consciously unbuckled his tactical belt, placed all his weapons on the ground, then raised his hands and slowly walked forward.
Farida swallowed, her hands clasped together nervously.
The 'Sudden Death' Kill-teams, an elite Kill-teams comprised of the Adeptus Arbites's most skilled Arbiters, commanded jointly by the Adeptus Arbites and the Inquisition.
They only carried out critical missions and possessed the Inquisition-granted authority to act first and report later, often used to deal with traitors within Imperial forces.
Even nobles could be shot dead if they obstructed their operations.
After all, nothing was more important than Imperial security.
This was the authority granted by the Inquisition.
"But I said I would..." Farida looked at Horatio's back, which blocked the strong light, and murmured, reaching out her hand.
"Miss Hood, you've done enough, thank you."
Horatio turned his face, spread his hands, and retreated gracefully, smiling gratefully: "Even if I go to the Adeptus Arbites, the Navy will surely come to bail me out, won't they?"
Horatio playfully winked at the girl, reassuring her not to worry.
He wasn't at all concerned that he would truly suffer in the Adeptus Arbites.
In fact, in the last second before the Precognition Shard ability disappeared, Horatio had already known that Imperial Navy specialists had departed and were on their way.
What he needed to do now was to stall for as much time as possible while minimizing casualties.
Led by a senior Arbitrator Officer, two 'Sudden Death' special police officers, dressed in dark blue tight-fitting uniforms and wearing dark red skull masks, hurried forward with their guns, swiftly handcuffed Horatio, and then, grabbing him by each arm, led him under the shuttle, where they used a straitjacket dropped from above to restrain him.
The arrested youth maintained a polite demeanor, a smile always on his face, and made no aggressive moves, like a noble.
Farida stood alone, her hair disheveled by the strong winds stirred up by the shuttle's engine.
She wanted to do something, but facing people who could truly shoot her dead, she seemed to lose the courage to step forward.
"Father, I've caused you trouble, but I must fulfill my promise..."
Farida's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and her pink lips were bitten until they bled scarlet.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and had already made her decision.
Suddenly, the shrill loudspeaker on the shuttle blared again.
[+ Unidentified Imperial armed flying vehicle, you have approached the Adeptus Arbites's jurisdiction.
Please state your identity immediately and return to base!
Repeat, please state your identity immediately and return to base! +]
Horatio and Farida squinted in the strong light, and it took a while before they could barely make out the 'uninvited guest.'
A... Valkyrie Fighter?
Horatio blinked, looking at the Imperial Navy insignia on the wing.
[Ah, finally! The Imperial Navy!]
After struggling on the brink of death for so long, Horatio now let out a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on his lips, his heart surging with emotion.
[+ Inform the Adeptus Arbites, we are the Imperial Navy Gothic Fleet.
Please immediately cease enforcement and communicate with our special commissioner. +]
After both sides stated their identities, the Adeptus Arbites hesitated for half a minute, then slowly retreated, clearing a landing zone for the large and elegant Valkyrie Fighter.
This was Abyss Port, the Gothic Fleet's home anchorage.
Aside from the Inquisition and the Emperor's Custodes, no other force could openly challenge the Gothic Fleet here.
As the legendary fleet that stopped Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade, the Gothic Fleet enjoyed extraordinary prestige and was renowned throughout the Empire, especially in the Gothic Sector, where the Imperial Navy Gothic Fleet held significant influence.
The Valkyrie was a vertical takeoff and landing fighter with transport capabilities.
Its ducted fan engines slowly adjusted vector, and the aircraft gradually settled steadily onto the ground.
Escorted by a squad of armed soldiers, a Naval Captain wearing an elegant bicorne hat stepped out from the formation, holding a parchment scroll sealed with a Purity Seal and Navy wax in his white-gloved hand.
He first saluted Farida, then unrolled the parchment and declared:
"Horatio Kirkland, you have been confirmed as the descendant of the missing legendary Navy Admiral Spire, the son of the martyred Chief Lord Captain Thomas Kirkland, and the sole heir of the Kirkland Family.
In accordance with Imperial Edict No. 227, you are hereby assigned to the Imperial Navy Gothic Fleet's active armed forces and ordered to attend the Saint Abridal Successor Academy without delay."
The Captain solemnly folded the parchment, held it with both hands and presented it to Horatio, then performed the Imperial Navy's exclusive cap-touching salute with his index and middle fingers.
[Loyalist Academy...? Spire's descendant??!!]
Unexpected news.
The Adeptus Arbites personnel were bewildered and shocked.
The supposed arch-criminal had suddenly become an Imperial Childer of Loyalty?
And what's more, he was the descendant of Navy Admiral Spire, who won the Gothic War and became famous throughout the Empire, a household name???
"Oh my God..." Arbitrator Inspector Shawi lay on the stretcher, his face ashen, breathing rapidly.
"I almost killed Spire's only descendant..." he murmured self-reproachfully.
"The Kirkland Family originated from Admiral Spire?!"
Farida's face flushed, her jaw nearly dropping, her eyes as shocked as if she had witnessed a Drukhari / Dark Aeldari invasion, an Ork attack, the advent of Chaos, or the collapse of the world.
The Navy Department's genetic comparison would not lie; the vast genetic database contained the most accurate genetic sequences of every Naval Officer.
This dark-haired young man, he was indeed the son of Captain Thomas Kirkland, a descendant of Navy Admiral Spire...
That... legend among Navy legends.
He had risen from an unremarkable Captain to the Commander of the Gothic main fleet.
A close comrade of Lord Navy Admiral Ravensberg and the already martyred and canonized Colonel Abri Dar.
The heroic descendant who personally ended Warmaster Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade...
Farida, like these Adeptus Arbites personnel, was sweating profusely, her gaze fixed on Horatio.
Since Spire himself was lost in the Warp, many only remembered the legendary Navy Admiral Spire's given name, but had forgotten his family.
Although in the subsequent centuries, the Kirkland Family had indeed not produced a new generation of "Spire's heirs."
[No wonder that obscure Captain Thomas Kirkland caused such a stir in the Gothic Fleet when he suddenly appeared.
So he was Spire's descendant...]
[Then, in terms of prestige, Admiral Spire's family, which was already famous centuries ago, indeed has a higher reputation than the Hood Family...]
Thinking this, Farida's face flushed, and she felt like she was suffocating.
"This... this man is a major Imperial criminal, what right do you have to prove your words?" a senior Adeptus Arbites Arbitrator Officer stepped forward and asked.
The Naval Officer sneered and unhurriedly produced a document bearing the Segmentum Obscurus Navy Department's seal.
"The Segmentum Obscurus Navy Department's Highest Special Edict, personally signed by the Star Zone Navy High Lord Navy Admiral Delong!
Whatever the reason, all who see it must obey!" The Captain snapped his legs together, puffed out his chest, held the document aloft for all to see, and stated with solemn pride.
[An edict signed by the Segmentum Obscurus Fleet Commander?!]
Upon reflection, Delong and Spire seemed to have been comrades in arms once.
This old man, who had survived the Gothic War until now, was the undisputed supreme leader of the Imperial Navy in the entire Segmentum Obscurus.
Once the official document was displayed, everyone present had no choice but to comply, bowing and kneeling in deference.
The Adeptus Arbites marshals, who had made such a show of force, could only release Horatio, unchain his handcuffs, and then performed an aquila salute to him.
"Horatio Kirkland, heed this order!
From this moment forward, you have officially become a valuable asset of His Divine Majesty!
You are now requested to report to the Naval Loyal Succession Department!
We expect you to fulfill your duties diligently!
And not disgrace the illustrious name of Admiral Spire!"