[Damn it! Antcow!]
Horatio immediately recognized the terrifying creature.
The next second, his hand instinctively drew his pistol from its holster, pulling the girl into his arms, and leaping backward, while his thumb released the safety, preparing to fire.
Although his bicorne hat fell to the ground, the entire sequence of movements was fluid and unhesitating.
"Sir." Just as Horatio was about to pull the trigger of his bolt pistol, the girl in his arms instantly raised her hand and pressed down on his index finger, which was poised to pull the trigger, with extreme speed.
"Don't be afraid. That's just a mobile model simulating an Antcow's predation. Look, it's in the display case." The girl explained with a smile.
[A false alarm...]
Horatio sat up, breathing heavily, staring at the Antcow as it held a predatory pose.
Its vacant, lifeless eyes indicated that it was indeed dead; only the transmission mechanism within its body drove its massive frame in clumsy movements.
"But... I heard that even dead Antcows can..." He nervously stared at the Antcow specimen.
"Don't worry, the taxidermist has fully deactivated it, and the display case is also a vacuum.
This Antcow specimen has bio-sensing lasers in its mouthparts. When someone approaches, it will assume a predatory posture. It's an ecological simulation."
Horatio looked at the words 'Rati-EB2A1' engraved on the base, along with an Adeptus Mechanicus skull-and-cog symbol, proving that this exquisite specimen was indeed the work of a Tech-Priest.
He looked around; all the specimens of higher intelligent life forms were also crafted by this individual.
[As expected of the Adeptus Mechanicus, academic eccentrics of the 41st millennium, always making a bunch of strange things.]
The girl sat up from Horatio's embrace. Only then did he notice the distinct, exotic floral scent emanating from her.
Upon closer inspection, he found that the girl's cheeks had charming little freckles, and her golden eyes had lost their earlier passionate intensity, replaced by a touch of the shyness peculiar to girls her age.
"My apologies, it was a self-preservation instinct. Are you hurt anywhere?" Horatio stood up, extended his hand to the girl, pulling her up from the velvet blanket, and then smoothed his military uniform.
"Your reaction was very quick, it made me feel very safe, and you are quite the Gentleman, Mr. Kirkland." As the girl stood up, she picked up Horatio's bicorne hat.
She tilted her head slightly, looking up at Horatio, who was half a head taller than her, and presented the hat with both hands: "When you journey through the stars, if you discover any interesting flora or fauna, don't forget to make a specimen for me, alright?"
"Of course, Miss, it would be my pleasure!"
Hearing the affirmative reply, the girl's smile bloomed like a flower.
"Please allow me to introduce you to the Antcow's habits..."
—
Farida sat on the soft, comfortable sofa in her room, a book resting on her lap.
She looked up at the French windows before the balcony, thinking of a young man with black hair.
[No, no, how can I get distracted while studying!] Farida shook her head, took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes to concentrate.
Suddenly, her room door was pushed open.
"Father, why did you come in without knocking..."
A mature, handsome man with sharp eyes entered.
Even at home, he maintained an impeccable military bearing, wearing a crisp general's uniform, the Imperial Navy star on his epaulet shining with a cold metallic luster, giving him a powerful deterrent presence.
"Who was the person you drove today?" Rear Admiral Alexander Hood asked directly.
Farida's pink lips moved slightly. She knew she couldn't hide anything from her father, who was the chief intelligence officer, so she had to tell the truth: "Horatio Cochrane."
"He's the death row inmate you were escorting?"
"Yes, Father."
"Are you hiding something from me?"
After dropping off Horatio, Farida did tell her father about her experiences, but she skipped the part about bringing Horatio home. She hadn't expected her father to find out so quickly.
"I left him in the shuttle's cabin, and then I came in."
"Really?" He sat on the sofa opposite Farida, crossing his legs, but without losing his dignity.
Rear Admiral Hood's directness made Farida gasp and flinch backward.
"A set of my clothes is missing. Although I haven't worn them in many years, they were a gift from your mother on my 30th birthday."
"Um... Father. After the blood test confirmed he was a genuine Kirkland, I took a set of yours for him to change into."
"Is that so. Did you enter my study?"
As soon as the words 'study' were uttered, Farida's pupils dilated.
Farida lowered her head, her fists clenched, and her body began to tremble slightly.
"I entered your study to look for clues about that boy, to confirm my suspicions."
"He didn't enter, did he?"
"No!"
Farida suddenly looked up and said loudly: "Absolutely not! Your study is full of military secrets; how could I possibly bring that guy in there!"
Rear Admiral Alexander Hood glanced at his daughter. Although her nervous demeanor made her words seem unconvincing, the Rear Admiral merely looked out the window and let out a long sigh, as if exhaling smoke.
"I came today mainly to tell you something."
Farida looked up, curiously at her father.
"You're no longer working for the Adeptus Arbites."
"Huh?"
"I've decided to deploy you to the Fleet Intelligence Office.
You will subsequently serve the Imperial Navy Fleet Security Committee. I have already informed Father Lati to remove the Adeptus Arbites emblem from your armor and engrave the Imperial Navy's helm insignia."
"Fleet Security Committee..."
Farida blinked: "Isn't that the Gothic Fleet's highest-level security committee?"
"That's right. Only the most loyal naval personnel have the right to serve the Fleet Security Committee. The Adeptus Arbites was merely for you to gain experience. Now you will begin to confront the darkest conspiracies."
Rear Admiral Hood's expression was grim.
He was a father, but even more so, an Imperial Army officer. To temper his only daughter in darkness, though it pained him, was a necessary experience for every Imperial general's offspring.
Only through such rigorous hellish training could they maintain their loyalty and sanity when they eventually stood on their own and faced the most desperate darkness.
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'." Rear Admiral Alexander Hood's tone was unyielding.
"You are old enough now. I joined the Imperial Navy at 14, and by your age, I had already experienced 13 Warp voyages and killed hundreds of traitors and mutated crewmen.
In the future, you will also become a key figure in the Imperial Navy. I can let you suffer less than I did back then, but that doesn't mean you don't need to suffer. For the Imperial Army, there is no difference between men and women."
"Yes, Father." Farida stood up and saluted her father, her eyebrows twitching slightly as she asked: "What about Horatio's future..."
Rear Admiral Alexander Hood frowned slightly.
"As my special envoy, you will subsequently be responsible for liaising with his squad and providing all the support services he needs."
"Huh?! Liaising with his... squad?" Farida's eyes widened suddenly.
"You are a scion of the Hood Family. Managing a squad is a minor matter that needs to be cultivated starting now."
Although her father said this, Farida keenly sensed his intention to place his bets on Horatio, Admiral Spire's only descendant.
It was common for Imperial noble families to place their bets on favored and promising candidates for marriage alliances.
Most often, they would start with official matters, providing resources. Once the invested candidate demonstrated sufficient political potential, things would progress to the next step—marriage.
Moreover, as the Hood Family, known for its hard-won reputation, Rear Admiral Alexander Hood only intended to seek a suitable eligible candidate from prestigious, established naval families.
This was the optimal solution for newly elevated nobles like the Hood Family, as it could perfect, consolidate, and elevate their existing family status.
However, it also meant that the candidate not only had to be part of the Navy themselves but also had to have at least two generations of ace ancestors as proof of their capability.
Although the Ravenberg Family still had an unmarried second son, for various obvious reasons, Rear Admiral Hood decided against considering this individual.
The Ravenberg Family had numerous illegitimate children, and their descendants were notoriously profligate, with no notable naval generals emerging from their ranks. They were trending towards becoming purely hereditary Imperial nobles, and as a marriage prospect, they faced far more superior competitors than the Hood Family.
Horatio, as a direct descendant of the Spire bloodline, with his father being a Chief Lord Captain, perfectly met the criteria of an established naval family with two generations of elites, possessing excellent genes.
Although he had spent a long time in the Lower Hive, this ironically made his political background clean. Furthermore, his blood test results showed he was healthy, physically excellent, and free of any diseases.
Now, it remained to be seen how capable he himself would be.
However, he would meet this "candidate" tomorrow and form his first impression assessment of him.
"Yes, Father! I will not disappoint your expectations." Farida respectfully saluted her father, her eyebrows twitching slightly, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.