As Horatio stepped onto the gun deck, the Soldiers, recognizing the officers' uniforms and insignia, knew their superiors had arrived and saluted both Naval Officers.
The air in the Macro cannon bay was not pleasant; even with exhaust fans, it still reeked of a mix of gunpowder, machine oil, and sweat.
Farida also frowned but did not complain.
"Why do these people look so strange? Horatio, are they... are they mutated?" Farida looked at the abnormal Sailors before her, feeling a sense of unease.
Horatio appeared much calmer.
He noticed that many of the crew members here were Void Children. These 'natives' of the warship had lived on this vessel for generations; many were born in the tides of the Warp, their bodies mutated. Some even had pure black pupils with no whites, a mutation that occurred to adapt to life in the void.
But the Imperial Navy didn't care about these things. As long as these crew members continued to diligently serve the Imperial Navy, they would live, and live better than most Imperial citizens. Otherwise, they would be completely eradicated.
They might have witnessed the replacement of hundreds or thousands of Captains; some families even had a longer history than the warship itself. Commodore Peru mentioned that when he was a Midshipman, he served on the Unyielding and had a deep attachment to this warship, even unwilling to be promoted to Rear Admiral.
Because once he became a Rear Admiral, he could no longer be a Captain. He didn't want anyone else to command his warship.
"They are Void Children; they will have some mutations, but don't worry, stay close to me," Horatio said calmly.
Farida carefully squeezed through the strange-looking crew members, almost pressing against Horatio's back.
Horatio felt a soft and elastic touch from behind him, but he merely twitched an eyebrow, pretending to know nothing and continued walking forward.
Each Macro cannon in the Macro cannon array was situated in an independent armored gun position.
Between two Macro cannons were several layers of thick alloy armor plating, ensuring that even if a gun crew suffered an unfortunate in-bore detonation, it wouldn't affect the adjacent gun positions.
The space within the armor plating was not wasted; it was interspersed with cargo holds, crew living quarters, and cabins. According to regulations, each Macro cannon was commanded by a Warrant Officer, and each gun emplacement, consisting of two Macro cannons, was commanded and dispatched by a Senior Warrant Officer or Midshipman.
Horatio recognized that he was commanding two Mars IV Heavy Macro cannons. Their caliber was twice as large as the light Macro cannons on a frigate; an Emperor-class Titan could stand upright inside them with room to spare.
Portside Macro cannons 3 and 4 were in one gun emplacement, specifically the 'Portside Second Macro cannon Emplacement.'
He and Farida took the elevator to the gun emplacement command platform. This sturdy command cabin was located above and in the middle of the two Macro cannons, cast from thousands of tons of heavy alloy steel.
There were many Voidsmen-at-Arms standing guard along the way, providing a strong sense of security. The cabin had an independent air purification system, so the unpleasant odors from outside vanished as soon as they entered.
The command platform was large, with most of the space dedicated to machinery. Several advanced thinker arrays and large display consoles served as the core hub for issuing commands to the gun crew.
Behind it were several Naval Officer rest rooms. Horatio glanced inside and saw clean, tidy beds, mahogany desks and chairs, velvet sofas, showers, and bathtubs.
There were also recreational items such as Regicide, billiards, card games, and books.
In the pantry of the command platform, there were robed servants. Their job was to fulfill all the needs of the Naval Officers, providing them with meals, drinks, and bringing them anything they required.
Thirty meters in front of them was a massive triple-hardened viewport. Its length and width represented the maximum firing arc of the two Hong Cannons; any target appearing within the viewport's field of vision could be attacked.
On the wide deck about 50 meters below, there were thousands of indentured laborers in shackles.
These individuals were chained in several rows like trackers, and the supervising Sailors wielded whips, overseeing their work. The slightest slackening would earn them a lash.
Excluding these indentured laborers, there were hundreds of crew members responsible for this cannon, plus the armed Voidsmen-at-Arms standing guard and patrolling, bringing the total to nearly a thousand people in each gun bay, all under his direct supervision.
"Sir, I am the gun captain of Portside Macro cannon 3. The entire clan serves you. You may authorize ammunition requisitions at any time." Upon seeing the Midshipman, the gun captain saluted Horatio and Farida. His face was pale, and his fingers were long and sharp, clearly indicating he was also a mutated Void Child.
From his rank insignia and clan emblem, he was a Warrant Officer and the clan chief of the 'Portside Macro cannon 3' command clan.
Soon, the clan chief of Portside Macro cannon 4 also arrived beside Horatio and saluted both Midshipmen. He was also a clan chief.
This was the current state of Imperial Navy warships. Perhaps when the Unyielding was first a Lunar-class cruiser, its initial crew members were complete strangers.
But as these crew members, who lived on the warship for generations, underwent countless intermarriages and reproduced, they gradually and implicitly formed blood-related clans.
Whether it was gun positions, engines, or compartments, many were organized in clan forms. Even under a single Macro cannon, command clans, loading clans, maintenance clans, and repair clans would form...
Although this clan system was not officially recognized by the Imperial Navy, these crew members were undoubtedly the most knowledgeable about operating and maintaining these devices.
Except for Naval Officers, they would not share the secrets of their clan's duties with anyone from other clans.
This also meant that if an entire clan was wiped out in battle, all operational knowledge of that weapon or equipment could be completely lost.
The Midshipman's primary task was to familiarize himself with various operational skills of the warship before becoming a commissioned officer, hence they would be assigned to command and learn the specific operational procedures.
"I declare that this gun position immediately enter the Second Combat Alert navigation watch status," Horatio commanded the gun captain, his hand on his saber, with authority.
"At your command, Sir!"
"+ Portside Second Macro cannon Array is in position +" Horatio received the ship's internal dedicated communication. The ship was reporting to the Naval Officer in the operations department.
"+ Received, Subaltern Kirk. The God-Emperor expects you to fulfill your duties +" The Macro cannon Officer responded.
"+ Yes! +"
Horatio immediately began pre-battle preparations based on the knowledge he had learned from books.
"+ Portside Second Ammunition Supply Group, this is Portside Second Macro cannon Array. I have issued the ammunition requisition +" Horatio said to the Midshipman at the weapons department station via the communication device.
"+ Portside Second Ammunition Supply Group received, Macro cannon ammunition is being issued +" a Midshipman replied.
"Push harder!! Don't try to slack off!" The overseer waved his long whip, shouting at the indentured laborers.
The indentured laborers strained to pull the ropes of the shell hoists, transferring shells from the transport train to the loading racks.
Horatio not only had these rights, but he also carried a key. This large key gave him the authority to open the armory beneath his feet and summon his crew members in his compartment to arm themselves.
However, people rarely did this because once firearms were issued, some would always 'go missing' to some extent, and these could potentially become tools for crew mutinies or assassination attempts.
Farida had been observing Horatio. Dressed in his Naval Officer uniform and wearing a bicorne hat, he was stern and unsmiling, every posture and movement exceptionally imposing. His right hand remained on his saber, while his left hand gestured to issue his commands.
[He looks quite handsome like this.] Farida thought.
But soon, the slowly opening massive gun barrel caught her attention.
"This cannon... it's so big," Farida gasped softly, unable to help but wonder in her heart how large the shells it fired must be.
"The internal diameter of this heavy Macro cannon is large enough for an Emperor-class Titan to stroll inside," Horatio said to Farida, looking at the muzzle.
"That's right, Sir," a gun captain approved, "Your thought is correct, this great weapon's power surpasses any ground equipment."
"What's the fastest rate of fire you can achieve?" Horatio asked.
"An average of 5 minutes per shot, Sir. We are the best Macro cannon clan on the entire ship!" The Macro cannon 3 gun captain said proudly.
"So are we, we can even be tens of seconds faster than you!" The Macro cannon 4 gun captain said, unwilling to be outdone.
"When the alert sounds, let me see what you're capable of."
"As you wish, Sir!"
Command Bridge.
"Captain, we are 150,000 kilometers from the Avenging Blade, and 210,000 kilometers from the enemy vessel. The traitor warship has fled west towards the vicinity of Planet Valga, but our approach rate is faster. We are expected to overtake the Avenging Blade in 2 terra time hours and catch up to the enemy vessel in nearly 3 hours," the Astropath reported.
"Excellent. Full speed ahead. We'll disable its engines first, and with the Avenging Blade's cooperation, we must destroy it! Maximum speed of 11 void knots allowed. Disperse the frigate squadron to scout ahead! Sound the combat alert when we are 15,000 kilometers from the enemy vessel!"
"Understood, Captain!"
"Lieutenant Stirling, do you think Horatio can be trusted with the gun crew?"
"No problem, Captain." Lieutenant Stirling narrowed his eyes slightly, "He is a polymath."
Captain Edward nodded, "Good. The upcoming battle will test him. Let's see if he's as outstanding as you reported last time!"
The Unyielding's plasma engines spewed a long blue light, rushing forward.