Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 552 06.0551: "The first sea trial of the Bayonet-class Epic"

"I am the current head of the Navigator Crosby family. Our family has a long history. According to the legends traced back to the ancient genealogy, our ancestors once served as navigators in a unit code-named the 8th Air Wing and the 100th Air Bombing Group in Terra in ancient times. We have a long history and countless honors."

His skin was so pale that it was disturbing, and his body was wrinkled like a skeleton covered with a layer of human skin. The old man in front of him was leaning on a long staff with a giant eye sculpture on it, and a huge special eye patch on his forehead. He talked to the captain and introduced himself.

[8th Air Wing, 100th Air Bombing Group...] Horatio savored this familiar number.

[Hiss! Could it be the 'Bloody 60' when the US lost more than 100% of its crews during the war against Germany in WWII?]
"Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I am the captain of the Epic, Lieutenant Commander Horatio Cochrane. Future warp navigation depends on your family. Although the chief technical priest on the ship told me that warp jump may not be necessary for a while."

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency the Captain. When you need it, we will ensure that you and your warship reach your destination safely and efficiently. Members of our Crosby family have guided thousands of warp voyages over the past hundreds of years, and there have been few mistakes!"

“Of course, Major General Edward Perroux speaks highly of your family.

I believe you, Patriarch, but the Epic requires more precise and rapid navigation guidance, because we are a long-distance cruiser attack ship, and the execution speed of the subspace jump and the accuracy of the position of rushing out of the subspace are important for our combat. "

Horatio saluted respectfully, and the patriarch of the Navigator family leaned over and bowed in return.

His respect is not without reason.

The Navigator was a mutant in every sense of the word, and according to Imperial law he should have been executed on the spot.

It is only because the third eye on their head can "negotiate" with the Warp, providing them with a Warp perspective, that their talent is indispensable for any controllable and efficient long-distance Warp navigation.

Since subspace travel is almost the only way of superluminal travel for the Human Empire, under this rigid demand, the Navigator Family naturally became an indispensable and important part of the Human Empire.

Now in the 41st millennium, the Navigator family has political and economic leverage that is completely disproportionate to its population and legal status, so naturally no one would be stupid enough to shout about the Imperial decree to execute mutants in front of them.

The Navigator families are extremely wealthy, arrogant, and corrupt. In their spare time, they either indulge in Hamlet-like extravagant lives or engage in Machiavellian political struggles on Terra.

For the Imperial Navy, navigators who specialize in this field are always safer than the potential dangers posed by other psykers.

But this does not mean that they are immune to the influence of the subspace. In order to accurately guide, the room where the navigator works on the ship is not covered by the Geller Field. The old navigators who have been on duty for a long time have more or less mental problems, and the mutation will become more and more serious, and even in the end they will lose their human form. The only good news may be that most of them will not live to see such a serious mutation.

And their eye is not to be underestimated. Anyone who looks directly into their third eye that can tear open a rift in the warp during navigation has met a tragic fate.

What is even more troubling is that the navigator's family has its own armed family guards. These fully armed soldiers do not belong to the warship or the captain, they only obey the orders of the navigator's head.

However, the Imperial Navy also strictly controls them. Their activities are very small, almost limited to the cabins around the navigator's family, and they are supervised by the Military Supervisory Committee. The military orders of the Imperial Navy also apply to them.

After meeting all the new members of the ship, Horatio returned to the command bridge.

"My dear." Farida came over with her round belly. This bulging belly made the girl, who used to be tight and nimble, look more like a wife, worthy of the word "wife". Unlike usual, she was not wearing the straight and majestic military uniform and shiny leather boots, but a loose woolen nightgown.

She believed that having a big belly was disrespectful to the military supervisor's uniform because it no longer fit her and would undermine the dignity of the military supervisor, and even more so her identity symbol and mission as the Divine Emperor.

So in order to take care of her more conveniently, Horatio also placed her in a separate officer's bedroom, which was very close to the officer's infirmary.

"How are you doing lately?" he asked with a smile.

"Great, I can feel our little baby kicking me." A happy smile appeared on her face, and with doting maternal love, she gently stroked the bulging belly, soothing the little life inside.

This untouchable, lonely canary who lost her mother when she was young and whose father was busy, who grew up in hatred and tears, has finally got the fruit of her love. A huge and rich sense of happiness lingers in her heart, enveloping and filling her entire body.

"I plan to conduct routine void sea trials on the Epic, testing and experimenting with the new ship's performance in the physical universe so that I can have a better idea. I plan to sail from Basor back to Zhendan for this section of the voyage. This section is in the Imperial Navy's controlled area and is also safe.

When we get to Zhendan, I will put you down. You have to take good care of our child. It is also a good choice to have him born in Zhendan. He will be baptized in the temple there and receive the blessing of the Emperor of God. Then he will grow up happily in a good nursery. When we return, we will take him back to Abyss Port and we can hold a grand wedding then."

"Yes, dear." After hearing this, her eyes sparkled with hope for the future, but soon her face turned reluctant and her smile became a little forced: "Be careful. Don't... let the child lose his father."

Horatio held her hand with one hand and stroked her bulging belly with the other hand: "Don't worry, I will definitely come back."

He didn't want to set too many flags. Once he set sail, everything would be full of unknowns in that dangerous and unpredictable universe.

Horatio walked to the fence in front of the captain's throne, looked at the larger command bridge and the many more officers, and said in a loud voice:

"My fellow officers and warrant officers, although this is the first time I'm working with many of you, I think you've heard of the achievements and reputation of the Epic, and you all know my name and what I'm capable of.

Now that you have become officers and warrant officers on the Epic, I have only one request for you! That is, no matter what, you must trust my command and my decision!
As a member of the Imperial Navy, everyone must fulfill their duties!"

The officers on the bridge all cast their eyes towards the young but extremely heroic lieutenant colonel.

His reputation was so high that he was already well-known in various attack ship squadrons and in the naval circles that participated in the Second Damocles Gulf Expedition. He was also considered a well-known figure in the entire Gothic Fleet.

For the officers, it is a supreme honor to serve under such a young saint and meritorious captain - this often also means that their career will be smoother than that of their colleagues, because by following such an ace captain, they can gain more military merits.

"Long live the captain! Long live Cochrane!" Many people took off their hats, threw them into the air, and shouted together.

"Now, we will start our first regular sea trial! Navigation Department, plan the shortest route to Zhendan! We will test the various performance parameters of the Bayonet-class Epic on the return journey to ensure that she can safely exert her due strength in our future operations behind enemy lines!"

(End of this chapter)