Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 971 (08.970): "Life Decision: Cooperating with Cintira's Military Reform Faction"

Horatio returned to the command bridge. The funeral was over, and the entire crew returned to a tense and busy state of combat readiness.

He and Louise stood together before the command throne, watching the holographic presentation of the joint investigation report by the Sintira Fusiliers and the Sintira Military Reform Party regarding the friendly fire incident.

"That's what happened, sir. The General Staff didn't want any of the intelligence we intercepted to be reacquired by the aliens, so they conducted a preventative bombardment of the signal coordinates and surrounding suspicious outposts..." Lieutenant General Bilon's fat face loomed in front of him in the holographic image, looking particularly greasy.

"Why is the General Staff shelling? Do you know our men are on a mission in that area?" Horatio questioned, his voice icy.

"Perhaps... it was a bad idea from one of the staff officers."

As you know, the staff is full of people and there are many conflicting opinions, so it's now impossible to figure out exactly who issued the artillery order.

The order was signed 'General Staff,' not by any specific person. The obese lieutenant general in his fine clothes shrugged, feigning difficulty.

“According to our investigation,” Brigadier General Rana, from the military reform investigation team, spoke up next to the obese lieutenant general. His voice sounded calm and rational. “Our investigation team learned from frontline soldiers that the anti-aircraft forces of the Sintira Fusiliers Regiment mistook your air force, which was delivering troops, for an attacking enemy air vehicle.”

That night was indeed dark and stormy, making a misjudgment a possibility.

However, it is an undeniable fact that the frontline battalions opened fire without verification, triggering a chain reaction from surrounding artillery units, ultimately leading to the beginning of tragedy and suffering.

"That was a spontaneous act by the soldiers. If anyone should be held accountable, it should be their individual responsibility. It has nothing to do with the command." Billon interrupted arrogantly. "Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. Whoever did it should be held responsible—if you can find out."

"..." Horatio, who had been harboring resentment for a long time, was tired of these meaningless remarks.

Apart from the investigation team from the military reform faction, which roughly outlined the course of events, the conservatives simply repeated a set of arguments: "Regardless of whose responsibility it is or who should be punished, if I didn't personally give the order, then it's not my responsibility."

"Colleagues, I am preoccupied with military duties and cannot continue this communication. Regarding the follow-up to the investigation, I would like to receive a written report from you." Horatio decided to end this time-wasting conversation.

“No problem, we will provide a detailed written summary report of our investigation results within three days,” Brigadier General Rana responded immediately.

Then Lieutenant General Billon spoke up: "We in the Astral Forces are equally busy, Mr. Cochran. I hope you can find some time to come to our General Staff. By the way, we can discuss your establishment of an Imperial Navy orbital landing force in Sintira..."

Before the lieutenant general could finish speaking, Horatio once again unilaterally cut off the communication.

[Talk to you? This matter concerns the future military revival of the empire. You bunch of incompetent good-for-nothings won't even get a sip of soup!] He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was cursing.

"From being mistakenly hit by anti-aircraft fire from the sky... the field artillery regiment carried out a carpet bombing of the beacon location without notifying friendly forces... God, just how terrible is this army that could make so many outrageous mistakes at the same time?"

"The world is sometimes just a giant makeshift operation, Louise."

What you see before you is one of the largest makeshift operations in the entire galaxy.

Horatio bluntly commented, "Sintira itself is a sector capital assembled by a bunch of makeshift teams, which is why they can pull off so many incredible feats. But this incident has also made me realize that relying solely on elite special forces to carry out missions is absolutely not enough. The formation of the orbital landing force must be accelerated."

After Horatio finished speaking, he re-established the one-way communication with Brigadier General Rana.

"Brigadier General, I remember that your military reform faction is also a legitimate Astral Army force, right?" he asked.

"We are a legitimate Sintira force recognized by the Ministry of Military Affairs, Your Highness."

Our military budget is directly allocated by the Sintira Ministry of Military Affairs, and our equipment is centrally managed by the Ministry of the Interior. All of this is thanks to General Nansuti's immense influence within the Sintira army.

Although our armaments and logistics are not as abundant as those of the Flintlock Regiment, at least we are indeed part of the Imperial's official Star Force organizational structure.

"Great. I have one last question."

Horatio looked directly into Brigadier General Rana's eyes. "My orders are to form an Imperial Navy amphibious assault force in Sintira."

However, the military order did not specify that I must form this unit within the framework of the Sintira Fusiliers Regiment. Therefore, can the Imperial Navy's military cooperation with the Sintira Military Reformation be legally recognized by the Sector Military Affairs Department?

"Your wish to gain the approval of the Sector Military Affairs Department requires only a word from General Nansutti, Your Excellency."

Horatio nodded in satisfaction: "In that case, Brigadier General Rana, please invite General Nansutti for me."

He breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind about his decision.

"Admiral Latouch-Treville and I hope to have a formal meeting with representatives of the military reform faction aboard the flagship of the Fortress-Toulon Fleet, the 'Paris City,' to discuss in detail the Imperial Navy's funding and equipment provision, with assistance from the Sintira military reform faction, for the specific formation of the amphibious assault force."
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Horatio planned to take a bath and change his clothes before heading alone to the flagship of the Fortress-Toulon fleet, the 'Paris City'.

At this time, the Fortress-Toulon fleet had dispatched more than half of its forces to support the Imperial Void forces, who were fighting aliens and traitors in the Void, so there were far fewer warships in orbit.

While Horatio was showering and changing in the captain's cabin, he listened to a broadcast from the capital of Calicus. It seemed that Sintira was holding a celebration called the 'Festival of the Ascension of Saint Drusus'. This was a unique Calicusian festival established to commemorate a great figure from the 'Anjou Expedition'.

The void was a sea of ​​fire, the ground was a mess, but Cintira was still singing and dancing, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Since Horatio arrived in the Calicis Sector, the Imperial event of the Anjou Expedition had been echoing in his ears time and time again.

Horatio even consulted the ship's library for detailed information.

This was a thrilling and legendary expedition.

Drusus was the former Lord General Militant of the Astronautical Army and the second leader of the Anevin Crusade.

Initially, he was just an ordinary officer under Grand Marshal Golgenna Angevin. When Angevin suffered a mental breakdown and could no longer command the expedition, Drusus resolutely took over the new command and eventually became the first governor of the Calixis Sector, where he was revered as a hero and saint of the Empire.

In the name of the God-Emperor, he achieved a series of great feats, which made him the cornerstone of the people's faith after the establishment of the sector, and Drusus was thus canonized.

The Fortress-Toulon Fleet is the oldest fleet in the history of the Calissis Sector.

It is said that its military organization can be traced back to the Anjou Expedition.

It set sail from Holy Terra, initially becoming the conqueror of the Calithis Sector, and eventually its guardian.

For millennia, the Fortress-Toulon Fleet has guarded the border between the northern Eye of Terror and the southern Calicus, thwarting countless plots by the Chaos's greatest enemy, and is an important part of the Fortress Fleet.

Now, by some twist of fate, it has arrived at the spiral line, and no one knows what kind of impact this will have.

But there is no doubt that the days when traitors and aliens can run rampant in the Whirlwind Defense Zone are probably coming to an end.

(End of this chapter)