"Archie?" Horatio called out.
The young man, who was putting things away under the bed, paused and then looked behind him.
"Horatio?! I didn't expect my roommate to be you. These are your belongings that were left at the door earlier; I brought them in."
"Thank you."
"Quick, we have 11 minutes until assembly for reporting."
The Chief Naval Officer of the Naval Loyal Succession Department looked at his wristwatch. Beside him sat Commodore Edward Peru, and to his left was Rear Admiral Alexander Hood. The old General Anson sat in the center, while to his right was the renowned General Rodney, and further to the right was Vice Admiral Samuel Hood.
It was not always possible to gather such a lineup of the Gothic Fleet's major ace leaders for a graduation ceremony. This rare scene only occurred during graduation ceremonies when all the leaders were available.
Horatio's enrollment coincided with the final batch of Recruitment for the 3810th class, and the promotion of the 3806th class from the Loyalist Nurturing School.
Due to the nature of the Loyalist Academy, casualties were always present, and students from the same class often decreased. Therefore, there were situations where older pre-university students or Childer of Loyaltys were admitted to replenish the ranks.
Those Childer of Loyaltys who had enrolled not long before Horatio would also attend the ceremony with him.
Horatio and Archie arrived at the venue with 3 minutes left until the ceremony began. The new Recruitment students would line up in front of the older students from the same class.
The two quickly found a spot and stood still. Horatio noticed that standing directly opposite him was the Female Sergeant named Louise, whom he had met once in the Vegas District. They stood face to face, and her expression remained as unsmiling as ice.
"Today marks the final batch of Recruitment for the 3810th class. In the past, we have lost many students, and you have lost many classmates. But to die for the God-Emperor is the glory of each and every one of us. What is His greatest reward?!"
"Loyalty!" A deafening roar, like a tsunami, surged through the school grounds, creating a magnificent wave of air.
[Loyalty is the greatest reward.] Horatio recalled this Warhammer saying.
"May their souls return to the Golden Throne. New students, we are His Navy. From today onwards, you will serve the God-Emperor, serve the Imperial Navy. Remain vigilant at all times, do not relax, any relaxation may lead to meaningless sacrifices!" General Anson's voice was old but very loud.
"Now, answer me, what is the God-Emperor's greatest reward?"
"Loyalty!"
Except for Horatio's side, where the sound was relatively loud, the untrained voices of the new students were incomparable to the voices of their predecessors.
"With such small voices, you still want to be Imperial Navy Officers? With this little sound, once the Macro cannon opens fire, your subordinates won't be able to hear what you're shouting at all!" Rear Admiral Alexander Hood immediately reprimanded them without mercy.
Under the merciless scolding of the Imperial heroes, and facing the scornful gazes of rows of seniors, many new students' faces turned red to their earlobes in shame on the spot.
"Do it again!"
"Loyalty!" The new students, filled with shame and indignation, shouted again with all their might, their momentum barely describable as magnificent.
"Hmph, that's more like it." Vice Admiral Samuel Hood snorted.
"Imagine, the enemy of the Imperium's torpedoes are at close range, and your shouts cannot make the Sailors near the noisy engines hear your commands clearly, what will happen?!" Commodore Edward Peru said loudly with a booming voice.
"Remember, to be a Naval Officer, your voice must be loud enough, and your voice must be resonant enough! On a warship over ten kilometers long, your voice will determine the transmission of orders! And the transmission of orders will determine the survival of a warship! The survival of a warship will determine the victory or defeat of the fleet! And the victory or defeat of the fleet will determine the fate of dozens of worlds behind you!"
Rear Admiral Alexander Hood said with a thundering voice, his single voice matching the first roar of the recruits.
"Now, new students of the 3810th Recruitment, each introduce yourselves. Where did you receive your education, what is your name, what is your academic status, your family's naval background, and what honors do you have? Starting from the first person on the left!"
"Gothic Capital First Grammar Middle School, David Beatty von Ravensburg, currently a Childer of Loyalty. My ancestors were Imperial Navy Gothic Sector, Gothic Fleet Commander-in-Chief, who rose to the rank of Lord Navy Admiral. He united the Gothic Sector, commanded the Gothic Fleet to win the Gothic War, and thwarted Abaddon's conspiracy. My father was a Commodore, who died in the line of duty on the Eye of Terror front."
The second son of the Ravenberg Family, dressed in luxurious military ceremonial attire, spoke with increasing excitement and a rising tone, his words full of boastfulness.
The students of the 3816th class exchanged surprised glances.
Even with David Beatty's ostentatious attire and proud, self-important tone, completely like that of a profligate son, the leaders on the stage could not help but give him face.
"May his soul return to the Golden Throne. Next."
The students introduced themselves one by one, with Childer of Loyaltys and pre-university students being roughly half and half.
Horatio glanced to his left, the sound surging closer and closer to him.
"Gothic Capital First Grammar Middle School, Archie Cuthbert Collingwood, currently a publicly funded pre-university student at the Officer Preparatory University. My grandfather, before his death from illness, was a Rear Admiral, and served for a long time as a Tribune for cargo security at the PW-P-15 mega-Starport. My father was a Naval Captain, who died in the line of duty last year in a boarding action against traitors."
His self-introduction caused another stir among the students.
[So it's a declining naval family. No wonder he attends the same school as the second son of the Ravenberg Family. His family situation is actually this complicated.] Horatio glanced at the young man beside him.
"Hmm, we all know your grandfather, and I am familiar with your father. They were good soldiers who fulfilled their duties. Now, only your mother is left, right? I remember she wasn't in good health." Commodore Edward Peru asked with a sad expression.
"Yes, sir."
"Do your duty well, Midshipman. The revival of the Collingwood family depends on you. The Navy will also help you with any difficulties you face."
"Thank you, sir." Although Archie agreed, he pursed his lips, a troubled expression on his face.
Horatio glanced at him, seeing that he, like himself, was someone who disliked accepting charity.
Begging for help was also a loss of face for the dignity of a naval family. Although he didn't want to speak up, his mother had been ill for many years, and her health had worsened significantly after his father's death in battle.
Their family had also provided too much assistance to the families of Voidsmen-at-Arms Officers and Sailors who had died in battle under his grandfather and father.
Aside from an old house in the Upper Hive, they had sold almost everything unnecessary, even to the point of being described as 'having bare walls'. They couldn't even afford the benefits of securing a Midshipman spot, choosing to serve as publicly funded pre-university students for the sake of revitalizing the family.
"Next!"
"Abyss Port Social Middle School, Horatio Cochrane!" Horatio said with a serious and earnest expression.
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't until Vice Admiral Samuel Hood on the stage burst out laughing that the students below also joined in the uproarious laughter.
Louise, standing at the head of the first row, watched Horatio with a consistently serious expression, not laughing with the others.
"What an interesting young man." The Vice Admiral dabbed the tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Brother, he…" Rear Admiral Alexander Hood was about to remind his brother when Horatio continued.
"My father is a Chief Lord Captain, who has sunk more ships than the combined total of the second and third ranked Lord Colonels! My ancestor is Navy Admiral Spire, an Imperial legendary hero, the terminator of the 12th Black Crusade, the vanquisher of Warmaster Abaddon, and the Commander of the Gothic Main Fleet."
The laughter stopped almost instantly, and the entire hall fell into an eerie silence.
"Ahem. So it's Thomas Kirkland's son. You should have told me sooner, brother." Vice Admiral Samuel Hood adjusted his cravat, sat upright in his seat, pursed his lips, cleared his throat, and said nothing more.
The little ones from the 3816th class, who had just graduated from the Loyalist Nurturing School, all looked at Horatio with shining eyes.
What kind of coincidence was it that the scions of the two great legends, Ravensberg and Spire, were standing before them, enrolling together?
"Tsk, what's with the pretense, a child from a subordinate family."
David Beatty, the second son of the Ravenberg Family, leaned out and glared at Horatio in displeasure. ╰(Fuck the dish)
Even when he spoke, he didn't shock others this much. All the attention was suddenly stolen by this kid who appeared out of nowhere.
"Now, the group leaders of the 3810th class will select their members. Pre-university students with pre-university students, Childer of Loyaltys with Childer of Loyaltys. Starting from David Beatty!"
As expected, David Beatty was immediately accepted by a Childer of Loyalty group composed entirely of students from great noble families. Archie joined a pre-university student group.
The selection was quick, with new students stepping forward one by one, returning to their groups, and integrating among the students of the 3810th class.
"Horatio Cochrane!"
This was an awkward position. Most teams were already full or had established a fixed rapport. As a new blood from the Lower Hive, most Childer of Loyalty group leaders could not guarantee that they could achieve rapport with him in a short time—for the risk level of Childer of Loyalty missions, this could be fatal.
More than ten seconds passed, and no one came forward. The atmosphere became a bit subtle.
Sergeant Louise glanced at the other group leaders, and after confirming that no one intended to speak, she stepped forward.
Horatio met her purple eyes, and they saluted each other.
"Is it appropriate for him to join the 'Problem Group'? Should we switch him to another group?" The Chief Naval Officer of the Naval Loyal Succession Department turned his head and asked Commodore Edward Peru.
"What kind of problem?" Commodore Edward asked, turning his face slightly.
"Sergeant Louise was already quite old when she joined the 3810th class, and now she is 19. She should have reached the Midshipman stage by now, or at least be a Sergeant Major.
But because she failed exams repeatedly, got deductions, and had to retake them, she is still a Sergeant. She is excellent in all other aspects, but her grades are poor, especially in mathematics. She will probably end up as an Armsmaster for a boarding party. Her two group members are also like that: Lydos barely passes all subjects but is a troublemaker, and Fidio has good grades but terrible combat scores. Joining such a group might not be suitable for a new recruit's development."
"This Louise, isn't she the daughter of those two Cadia biologists? They moved from Cadia to Abyss Port, bringing anti-toxin reagents discovered from the Eye of Terror, but their passenger ship became a plague ship midway, and everyone turned into zombies, leaving her as the sole survivor."
"Yes, that's her, Louise Tavira. Her parents injected her with the only vaccine. Although it was effective, it seems her constitution also became strange; installing mechanical parts into her body makes the machine soul agitated, leading to malfunctions.
Even if she becomes an officer, installing command hubs will be troublesome later. It's a pity that the samples and research reports for that reagent were destroyed, otherwise the Navy Department, in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Guild, might have been able to improve it into a mature version without side effects.
So, should we switch Horatio to another group? This current group is very likely to hinder his path to becoming a Midshipman."
Commodore Edward fell into contemplation.
"No need, such a distinctive group is very good."