Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 797 08.796: "Only two months of preparation period"

Horatio was silent for a moment.

The air in the office became stagnant because of this heavy topic. Only when the carefully selected dry firewood burned in the fireplace, one or two slight and crisp crackling sounds were occasionally made, which were particularly clear in the silence.

His deep eyes calmly scanned the escort fleet configuration briefing projected on the data board. The number and types of ships listed on it seemed so thin compared to the huge transport fleet and the long and dangerous voyage they were about to face.

His brain, like the most efficient logic engine, began to work rapidly, calmly analyzing the disparity in military strength between his own side and the potential enemy, as well as the fatal risks that might be encountered during this voyage.

The biggest difficulty of this voyage, which was destined to be dangerous and full of twists and turns, was undoubtedly the dauntingly long journey and the Death Star Region at the end of the journey, which was infinitely close to the dangerous and war-torn battlefield of the Rotorui Line.

[A light cruiser as the flagship, four escort ships specialized in escort, a destroyer with wide-area detection capabilities, and two attack ships that can be considered as capital ships in terms of firepower, but have many weaknesses themselves...]
Horatio silently calculated in his mind, [Should we use this limited force to escort the huge transport fleet of more than 50 ships with almost no self-defense ability in the endless sea of ​​dangers and murderous intentions until they reach the rotating guard line...]
No, it's not that I have no ability to defend myself.

The Empire's standard merchant ship is equipped with a light macro cannon, and the larger space-class transport ship has the firepower of 8 light macro cannons.

If scientifically arranged, the self-protection capabilities of these civilian ships can be increased.

He once again reviewed the organization list of the entire escort fleet.

The total number of the Imperial Navy's combat ships is always relatively scarce compared to the endless duties they have to undertake in the vast Milky Way. Therefore, the various star fleets under the Imperial Navy usually follow a set of effective standard organization when performing most escort missions:

Medium fleet escort: usually an escort detachment consisting of 4 to 6 destroyers or frigates, responsible for escorting more than 30 standard tonnage transport ships.

Large fleet escort: usually composed of 1 light cruiser-class battleship, assisted by an escort detachment consisting of 4 to 6 destroyers or frigates, responsible for escorting large transport fleets of more than 50 ships.

特大船队护航：则需要至少1艘标准巡洋舰级主力舰、1艘轻巡洋舰级主力舰，以及一支由6至8艘驱逐舰或护卫舰组成的强大护航分队，方能勉强承担起护卫80艘以上特大规模船队的艰巨任务。

It seems that the size of the fleet that he is about to escort has already reached the standard of a "large fleet".

Moreover, the Admiralty also equipped itself with two additional long-range attack ships that it was very familiar with.

In addition, after arriving near Juno, a patrol team joined its escort command sequence.

Judging from the configuration on paper, this escort force arrangement can even be considered unusually sufficient given the current tense situation of the Imperial Navy.

I wonder if this was a result of his uncle, Admiral Samuel Hood, trying to gain a little "favor" for his nephew-in-law who had just returned from fighting alongside him.

Perhaps, Major General Edward Peru, who had always valued him, also played a significant role behind this transfer order.

After all, the "Provocation" class light cruiser, which would be commanded by the experienced Colonel Stirling, was originally part of the task force under Rear Admiral Peru.

The temporary secondment to join this escort mission must have been approved by the highest commander of the task force.

But even so, Horatio knew in his heart that this was still a mission that was destined not to be smooth sailing, and there was even a high possibility of total failure.

The intensity of the battle on the Rotating Guard Line was no less than that of the legendary Cadia Line of Defense. It treated every race and life that dared to set foot there equally with the most extreme and coldest malice in the galaxy.

But he knew that the 41th year of the 999st millennium was quietly approaching, heralding the beginning of an era of turbulence and change.

When the empire is facing a life-and-death crisis, someone is always needed to step forward and face those seemingly impossible-to-survive challenges and limits with an iron will.

And he, Horatio Cochrane, has dedicated his life, soul and all his glory to the Supreme Emperor and the humanity in distress without reservation since the day he first put on the naval uniform that symbolizes honor and responsibility and swore allegiance under the Emperor's golden Sky Eagle flag.

"Mission accomplished, sir." He raised his head, his voice calm but with unquestionable determination, every word was powerful.

Although this was his first time to independently command and carry out such a large-scale escort mission, as one of the most common and basic types of military operations in the Imperial Navy, escort operations can be said to be a basic skill that every qualified naval officer must master.

When he was a captain on the battleship Indefatigable, he had assisted the then captain Edward Perroux on many occasions and successfully escorted the logistics supply fleet of the Far Star Expeditionary Force to the dangerous planetary orbit safely, which also accumulated a certain amount of practical operation experience.

“It is expected that after two standard Terran months, all merchant ships participating in this mission will complete the final preparation and material loading work in the orbital dock of Abyss Port. At that time, the special route code-named RX-0371 will officially set sail.

Our next meeting is expected to be in the landing port, my lord." Lady Theodora's holographic image flickered slightly, and she once again expressed her respect and expectations to Horatio, and then in a soft energy dissipation light, her image disappeared.

With the end of the third-party communication, the atmosphere in the office seemed to have been relieved of a huge burden. It was no longer as overly solemn and dignified as before, but instead became a lot more relaxed.

"Thank you, uncle. During the long period when Farida and I were sailing away, you took the trouble to take care of our little Horace." Horatio said sincerely.

Admiral Samuel Hood waved his hand, took out a cigar from an exquisite wooden box on the table, cut it with a special tool, and then pushed the gold cigarette box with a soft metallic luster to Horatio, indicating that he could help himself.

"We are family, Horatio. You don't have to be so polite. It's only a small favor to take care of Horace."

The admiral lit up his cigar, took a deep puff, and then slowly exhaled a stream of light blue smoke. He turned around and looked at the huge one-way glass floor-to-ceiling window, outside which was the still brightly lit and busy command and dispatch center below.

His voice was filled with a trace of barely perceptible fatigue. "I have indeed tried my best, Horatio. Many of the main fleets under the Admiralty are still stuck in the quagmire of Damocles Gulf, the Cardia Line, and many other key locations, and have not yet returned.

According to the organization, the Gothic Fleet theoretically has 75 main battleships, but now only the ones you see can be mobilized in the star zone. "He paused and added: "This time, the transportation mission to the Rotor Guard Line has a total of six batches of fleets planned. You are the commander of the first batch, and you are also the one with the most pressure."

"The Gothic Fleet always seems to fight tough battles with the most extreme force ratio."

Horatio's tone was filled with a hint of the black humor that is unique to soldiers. "Don't worry about me, uncle. Before the fleet sets out, I need a detailed departure time and scheduled route schedule for all escort batches, as well as a highly confidential patrol route and activity range intelligence briefing for all known friendly forces and potential hostile forces in the Gothic Sector."

Admiral Samuel Hood nodded, his eyes full of trust and expectations for this young successor.

"The situation in the galaxy is indeed becoming more and more chaotic. Everywhere you look, there are frantic military mobilizations going on, and brutal battles are breaking out everywhere. Separatist forces, Chaos rebels, and increasingly rampant aliens are spreading across the empire like a plague.

Cherish these two months of rest, children, because you will embark on another long and dangerous voyage. "

He extinguished the cigar in his hand, and his tone became a little deeper: "Becoming the loyal currency of His Majesty the Divine Emperor and burning ourselves for the Empire is the destiny of us soldiers. First of all, we are soldiers, and secondly, husbands and fathers. This is the reality we must accept from the moment we put on this uniform."

"You must be extremely careful on this mission, Horatio." Admiral Hood's tone became serious again, "It is much more complicated than it appears on the surface. It is by no means a simple routine escort mission.

The reason why I discussed with Major General Peru and insisted on allocating you an extra patrol team with capital ships is that according to our latest intelligence analysis, after your fleet arrives at the outer area of ​​the Rotor Guard Line, you will most likely face a direct conflict with cruisers from the alien race and the human traitor fleet.

But by then, the neighboring Calixis sector fleet should respond to your request for support and assistance.

Although those colleagues from the Sintira galaxy may be a little flamboyant in their daily behavior and always speak with a kind of pride that is hard to conceal, they have always been trustworthy and responsible in fulfilling their sacred duties and missions.

They are an indispensable part of the fortress fleet that protects the empire's core interests in this star region."

"To be honest, uncle," Horatio smiled bitterly. He took the cigar cutter handed over by the assistant captain and skillfully cut off a small part of the cigarette butt. "Now whenever I hear the word 'Sintira', my scalp tingles."

"I heard about it." Admiral Samuel Hood showed a half-smile on his face, "The first pilot planet for the landing combat force you founded was chosen on Sintira.

But I think the person who should be more troubled by this now is probably Sir George Anson.

After all, he is the primary person responsible for this plan. If this thing is done, the greatest credit will naturally belong to you, the front-line commander; but if it fails, the main responsibility will be borne by him. "

"Two months of preparation time, to be honest, is still too hasty."

Horatio lit his cigar, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled a cloud of white smoke, which filled the air with a hint of spicy aroma.

"I haven't even had time to fully formulate the equipment specifications and logistical support standards for the Imperial Navy's landing combat forces.

It is obviously an impossible task to obtain a sufficient number of new uniforms and individual equipment that meet the standards in just two months. And, to be honest, I still haven't figured out what kind of equipment configuration is most suitable for our future specialized landing combat forces of the Imperial Navy.

It is not realistic to copy the Astra Militarum. We are destined to not have a large battle line to maintain a large supply line. If we refer to the Harakoni Falcons using gravity parachutes to enter space, although there is some value, this unit also suffered heavy losses in the last battle because of such radical light-equipped tactics. We cannot copy the attribution of the loser. "

"First, we can rule out the standard equipment of traditional boarding commandos."

Admiral Samuel Hood said without hesitation, "That set of heavy closed void combat uniforms and melee weapons are indeed very useful for short assaults in the low-gravity or even zero-gravity environment inside a void ship. The overall performance is indeed quite outstanding."

“But once it reaches the standard gravity environment of the planet’s surface, it is still not suitable for ground battlefields. It is not as good as the regular ceramsite armor or ordinary carapace armor of the Astra Militarum.

What are our special features? A large number of fast vertical take-off and landing aircraft, various types of Valkyries and Averus landing craft, but that would probably make us repeat the mistakes of the Harakoni Falcons. I'm afraid that the troops deployed will not be able to hold out for long and will not be able to stand firm.

You can first transfer a batch of existing, undyed standard solid-color combat uniforms of the Marine Infantry from the Imperial Marine Infantry led by Captain Elphinstone for emergency use.

As for what color they will be dyed in the future, what kind of badges and logos they will be equipped with, it won't be too late to arrange them slowly after you return triumphantly. There is still a lot of room for maneuver. These soldiers are good at security warfare and defense, but as PDFs of the port defense force, they also have many problems. "

Suddenly, Horatio had an idea and turned his attention to his colleague who was only five ground throne blocks away from the Admiralty.

The gray-black steel building stood in the middle of the heavily guarded ground fortress, and the gray-black iron fist symbol silently warned all lawbreakers, "The Empire will find you at any time and punish you."

"Sir, what do you think of the armaments of the Imperial Law Department, which is also a descendant of the loyal heirs? Large-caliber shotguns, heavy armor and shields more suitable for land combat, and mechanical mastiffs similar to CAT drones, but more suitable for land combat.

As we only have two months to prepare, I think it would be more appropriate to find ready-made equipment from existing armed forces."

(End of this chapter)