"What I say is set in stone, and everyone here is a witness! But… what if you can't even score an 85?"
Everyone looked at Horatio in unison.
The Commander stood up, refilled his empty cup, and poured a cup for Horatio, breaking the awkward silence.
As the Commodore personally poured the water, Horatio dared not be negligent and quickly stepped forward to receive it.
"Young man, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you; I just want to tell you a truth: don't bite off more than you can chew.
Confidence is a good thing, but blind confidence will ultimately lead to irreparable losses. By then, it will be too late, and you might drag an entire ship's worth of people down with you.
Who among us wasn't full of passion in their youth, with goals as vast as the stars and the sea?"
"General, you are right. But I am serious. If I can't score an 85, I will voluntarily transfer from the Imperial Navy to the Storm Childer of Loyalty sequence."
"Hey, are you crazy?" Farida went up and grabbed Horatio, but he straightened his body and remained unmoved.
"Oh, young man, why put yourself through this? Although your father is a Naval Officer prodigy, and your ancestors even produced a legendary figure, are you so sure you can be like them? Don't let Edward Peru's painstaking efforts go to waste. Isn't it better to proceed step by step?"
[How can I lose this free opportunity to gain points! Others can't score that high because they don't have the talent tree's blessing!]
"Time is pressing. I enrolled later than other students in my year, so I am willing to use this as a price to motivate my studies. Please allow it, General!" Horatio said something every teacher loves to hear, but which he didn't believe at all.
The Commander gave up on trying to dissuade Horatio.
"Then it's as you say, but if you can't score an 85, I'll call Edward Peru to settle accounts with you, young man!"
"Thank you, General!"
"I told you not to call me General. I'm not a General yet."
Horatio smiled politely and nodded in acknowledgment.
In the European and American naval systems, a Commodore is indeed not a General.
This rank in the Imperial Navy is awarded to very seasoned Captains.
In the Imperial Navy, Commodores typically command strike/battle groups composed of several cruisers and destroyer/frigate squadrons. Their moderate size makes them very suitable as an entry point for fleet Commanders.
In urgent situations, they are also the highest-ranking Captains. For example, the Captain of the Imperial Fists' Phalanx Fortress Monastery is a Commodore loyal to the Chapter.
The Commander took a couple sips of tea, smacking his lips as he complained to Lieutenant Stirling: "This brat is truly Thomas's son; he's as stubborn as his father."
Lieutenant Stirling smiled without speaking, stood up from his chair, and walked over to Horatio: "That's all for today. This is your Childer of Loyalty cadet ID. You'll enroll tomorrow, but tonight you still have something to do."
"Please tell me, Commander."
"Edward Peru has official duties during the day and cannot meet you temporarily. Please go to his official residence for dinner tonight." Lieutenant Stirling had almost explicitly hinted to Horatio:
"You can ask him many things in person then."
"How should I address him at that time?"
"Edward Peru is a Commodore and also a Lord Captain. You can address him as Lieutenant Commander."
Horatio nodded. From all descriptions, although Lieutenant Commander appears to be an honorary rank at the school level, it carries significant weight. So many Naval Officers who have become Commodores and Generals still refer to themselves as Lieutenant Commander.
However, Horatio, coming from the Second Navy, could also understand that the biggest difference between their naval ranks and army ranks is that naval ranks are all developed around three core ranks.
These are Lieutenant, Captain, and Admiral.
This is an ancient tradition, established in the Age of Sail, and now influences navies worldwide.
In the Imperial Navy, as depicted by the British, it even more clearly embodies the most essential characteristics of the Age of Sail.
Taking Lieutenant as an example, the Imperial Navy, like the British Navy in the Age of Sail, does not explicitly distinguish between Lieutenant, Lieutenant, and Captain in name; there is only a distinction between senior and junior.
The word 'Lieutenant' means 'assistant/deputy.' In the Navy, it refers to a Captain, while in the Army, it refers to a Lieutenant.
In late 18th-century Ancient Terra, British Naval Lieutenants could be regarded as 'King's Officers' (only a few army officers in regiments with 'Royal' in their name counted).
Because from Naval Lieutenant to First Lord of the Admiralty, all were Royal Commissioned Officers, all could receive commissions signed by the Crown, and were formally treated as officers.
They all had 'officers' quarters' on board, as well as exclusive storage rooms, cooks, and servants.
It was also from the Age of Sail that Captains were further divided by seniority into First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, Third Lieutenant, and so on…
In Chinese context, these are First Mate, Second Mate, and Third Mate, representing their sequence of command succession.
In the Imperial Navy, the First Lieutenant has a special rank, namely Lord Lieutenant.
Sub-Lieutenant means 'deputy's deputy,' representing someone who has just passed the Naval Captain examination and is a junior Naval Captain, thus regarded as a Lieutenant, but not a Lieutenant with a clear rank like in the Army.
In the Imperial Navy, Sub-Lieutenant is further given the titles of Senior Sub-Lieutenant and Junior Sub-Lieutenant, which are conventionally regarded as Naval Lieutenant and Naval Lieutenant, respectively.
In addition, the term 'Ensign' is also often used to refer to a Naval Lieutenant, because a Naval Lieutenant is the lowest-ranking officer authorized to manage signal flags.
This brings us to the process by which Midshipmen become official Naval Officers, and explains why no official Naval Officers appeared in the Loyalist Academy.
Compared to the Army, the conditions for becoming a Naval Officer are stricter. Naval Officers are appointed only by passing an examination, obtaining a commission issued by the Navy Department, and receiving a unified salary from the national treasury.
Midshipmen must serve on a ship for at least 6 months, up to nearly a decade, and with the Captain's recommendation, take the 'Naval Lieutenant Examination.' Upon passing, they receive a commission and become a junior Captain. Many children went to sea at a very young age, such as the young Midshipman who lost an arm in the movie 'Master and Commander.'
This characteristic was also inherited by the Imperial Navy.
Astra Militarum officers only need to be commissioned by a planetary Department of Military Affairs. Outside that sector, others might not recognize this designation, and verifying it with the Empire's administrative efficiency is particularly troublesome and cumbersome. This is also the main reason why Astra Militarum legions are usually organized into larger formations for unified deployment.
However, Imperial Navy officers often cruise alone in the vast star seas of the Empire, and warships are precious. Coordinating and commanding a giant war machine several kilometers long is clearly much more complex than commanding an infantry company.
Therefore, Naval Officers are required to have a higher level of skill, and their organization is uniformly managed by the Star Realm Navy Department, with regular updates between the five major Imperial Star Realm Navy Departments.
Comparing the two, Astra Militarum officers are like American county sheriffs, while Naval Officers are similar to federal agents. Although both serve the Empire, one belongs to the local government and the other to the national government, with vastly different organizational authority.
So, even among the notoriously decadent Sintillans, there's a saying: 'Excellent Sintillans are in the void.'
The term 'Captain' in the Navy refers to a ship's Captain, while in the Army it refers to a company Commander. The rank difference between the two is huge; in the Navy it represents a Colonel, but in the Army it only represents a Captain.
Becoming a Captain means becoming the king of the ship, with the power to control the life and death of everyone. It was the highest naval position before the advent of systematic naval warfare.
All Naval Officers take pride in becoming a Captain; it is a profoundly significant rank, the 'white moonlight' in the hearts of Naval Officers.
Lord Captain, as an honorary rank, is specially awarded to Captains with outstanding combat records. It is the Imperial Navy's highest recognition of individual command ability, naval combat ability, and professional competence.
Independent Lord Captains possess numerous privileges, including the right to organize fleets within their mission scope, decide operational plans, and so on.
If they send a set of coordinates, all nearby Imperial Fleets must respond, whether they are Space Marines or Adeptus Mechanicus armed warships.
General Captains performing patrol duties, however, can only operate within pre-designed patrol plans, with many restrictions.
A Lord Captain even has the authority to conduct Imperial affairs on behalf of the Imperial Navy and serves as the Captain of the fleet's flagship.
Admiral refers to a Navy Admiral, also known as a Fleet Admiral.
Early in the Age of Sail, Admiral was not a fixed rank. Usually, before a naval battle, a group of Captains would vote to choose the most senior and skilled Captain among them to command the fleet.
As for Navy Lieutenant General and Rear Admiral, they are not strictly defined by different words like in the Army, but rather, similar to Naval Lieutenant, are divided by seniority into:
Vice-Admiral and Rear Admiral.
Vice means 'deputy,' so 'Vice Admiral' is naturally a Navy Lieutenant General.
Rear means 'rear guard,' so the Admiral of the rear guard fleet is a Rear Admiral.
From the naval ranks, one can also see the prevailing liberalism and 'meritocratic egalitarianism' in the Navy.
Simply put, as long as they are not indentured servants (who don't even have human rights), the Imperial Navy will try its best to guarantee the treatment of its crew members.
If one can become a Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer, or even a Warrant Officer, then the Imperial Navy considers you an 'insider' of the naval system. In daily life, you will be given respect, and your treatment will be richer, even including operational bonuses.
(PS: Naval Voidsmen-at-Arms Officers and Warrant Officers not graduating from the Loyalist Academy are usually appointed by the Captain, with the Captain personally paying their remuneration, not reporting to the Navy Department, essentially an unofficial prepared by. But Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer and Midshipman ranks obtained at the Loyalist Academy are paid by the Star Realm Navy Department, while commissioned Naval Officers are paid by the Star Realm Navy Department.)
As for the Imperial Navy's commissioned officers, they exude a natural sense of superiority in their calm and composed demeanor. In non-combat situations, they use honorifics like Gentleman, Lady, and Your Excellency, giving each other full respect.
This is also why Lieutenant Stirling, as a Lord Lieutenant, could so calmly and composedly sit and chat with the Commodore-ranked Commander.
Once on board a ship, especially when entering combat, Naval Officers immediately enter a strict 'seniority hierarchy' state, strictly enforcing command levels, and addressing each other by rank and duty.
And although Midshipmen have not obtained a commission from the Navy Department to become official officers, the Navy implicitly considers these quasi-officers as part of the officer corps, with a status higher than Warrant Officers, receiving a salary at the Naval Lieutenant level paid personally by the Captain.
In the Imperial Navy, there are two types of Midshipmen.
One type is cultivated by the Loyalist Academy, gaining Midshipman qualifications after entering the officer preparatory school. These 'Childer of Loyalty Midshipmen' have their treatment guaranteed by the Star Realm Navy Department and must serve on a ship for at least 6 months before they can take the Naval Lieutenant Examination.
The other type are the children of Naval Officers whose parents are still alive. These children usually start sailing on ships from the age of 12, traversing the terrifying Sea of Souls from a young age, fighting and learning simultaneously. After reaching 18, they can take the Naval Lieutenant Examination.
Regardless of the type, these Naval Officers, tempered in countless brutal actual battles, are among the best Imperial Officers, both in terms of professional skill and command ability.
However, Naval Officers from the Saint Abridal Successor Academy possess glorious qualities that are remarkable even across the entire Imperial Navy—their desertion and surrender rates are currently 0%, continuing the legend of the Gothic Fleet with their blood, loyal beyond words.
The Navy believes this is due to the blessing of the Navy Saint, Colonel Abri Dar, who bravely charged into the Blackstone Fortress during the Gothic War, thwarting Abaddon's conspiracy and dying in the line of duty.
Coming from blood-soaked origins is the source of Naval Officers' pride, and they refuse any non-naval personnel to instruct them on professional matters.
It also forms the arrogant self-confidence derived from rigorous professional examinations and the commission from the Star Realm Navy Department.
It also led the Navy to form its unique characteristic of 'seniority forging authority.'
Horatio couldn't help but recall the famous saying, 'In Naval Academy, a fourth-year student says 'I can't hear you' means 'I can't hear you'!'
This perfectly embodies this characteristic of the Navy.
"For the rest of the time, you are free to arrange your schedule, as long as you report to the Loyalist Academy New Student office by 8 AM tomorrow. Your equipment will also be collected there. There's a bathroom and changing room at the intersection ahead; clean yourself up.
This is a locator. Edward Peru's butler will use it to locate you nearby and pick you up. Keep your ID safe; it's your only form of identification now."
Lieutenant Stirling patted Horatio's shoulder and handed him two small items.
"Thank you, Commander!"
[Hiss. This Loyalist Academy doesn't seem so terrifying after all.] Horatio felt a little secret joy amidst his shock.
This chapter is mainly for explaining and popularizing the differences in military ranks between the navy and army, and naval history, leaning towards the hard-core side.