Amidst the fierce battle, unbeknownst to Horatio, a Servo-skull was recording his every move, from command to leading the combat operations.
Before Horatio and Farida boarded the ship, both of their personal guards were comprised of elites personally selected by Commodore Edward Peru.
At the same time, he also gave them a mission: to use the Servo-skull to record all of their operations as evaluation records for key observation subjects.
"Truly impressive command, a textbook anti-boarding action. How wonderful it would be if all Midshipmen were like him," Lieutenant Sterling commented involuntarily.
"Lieutenant Sterling, please elaborate on your assessment."
"As a Midshipman, he not only did everything he was supposed to do, but he did it exceptionally well, completely at the level of a commissioned officer.
Sir, it's not that I'm defending my previous unauthorized command of the warship, but from what I know of his father and him, I can say...
The Kirkland Family is naturally suited to be a naval paragon, worthy of Admiral Spire's blood. He might even achieve great things at a younger age than Thomas. But how great..."
The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow: "I can't say for sure."
"So, do you know why I called him here so urgently?" Commodore Peru took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
The Lieutenant shook his head: "No, Sir."
"Someone wants him dead, just like his father."
"..." Lieutenant Sterling's eyes showed an expression of disbelief.
"Who? But wasn't Chief Lieutenant Commander Thomas... a suicide?" the Lieutenant asked in a low voice.
Thanks to the extremely high elevation of the two command thrones and the use of cable-encrypted communication, this conversation was able to continue.
"Further investigation is needed, but a certain Lord has already found clues, and I believe the truth will come to light soon enough.
It was also that Lord's intention to have Horatio immediately come to the Unyielding."
Lieutenant Sterling felt a terrifying suppression in the Captain's tone.
Calling a rookie to a warship to join a void battle with uncertain circumstances was already dangerous, but him staying here was safer than on the ground. So how great were the dangers and conspiracies hidden beneath the veneer of Abyss Port?
"When a tree grows to be in plain sight, especially when it stands out in a forest, all sorts of dark and twisted insects crawl out from under its shade."
"I understand, Sir."
The Lieutenant did not continue to ask. He knew very well that this was no longer something his rank could know.
What he didn't know was that these recordings would be sent as top-secret data to a council composed of Inquisitors and senior Gothic Fleet officers.
"The Fleet cannot allow his father's tragedy to repeat itself on him. This is the responsibility of the Fleet Security Committee and the Fleet Military Intelligence Headquarters," Commodore Peru said, his brows tightly furrowed.
Port side, Macro cannon No. 4, lower deck.
"Damn it, how could this Midshipman... how could he be so strong?!" the renegade Planetary Defense Forces Officer muttered in disbelief.
"Reinforcements! Where are the reinforcements?!" His sharp teeth gnashed his lower lip in astonishment and rage: "Release the indentured laborers! Arm them!"
The Blood Pact remnants desperately charged towards the bottom hold of the gun deck, as if reaching there could reverse everything.
Horatio, sweating profusely, led the Sailors in pursuit.
For no other reason, the number of controlled indentured laborers below was simply too vast; once out of control, it would directly affect the combat effectiveness of the subsequent gun emplacements.
These people were essential labor on Imperial Navy warships.
They were not servitor-converted thralls, nor were they technical personnel like shipwrights who enjoyed First Class Sailor treatment; they were simply contract workers who had signed agreements with the Imperial Navy, a group of mortals as ordinary as could be.
Many indentured laborers came as part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' tithe, remitted by various planets and allocated to the Imperial Navy. Their personnel sources were diverse, divided into ordinary indentured laborers and controlled indentured laborers.
Controlled indentured laborers were mainly composed of criminals and debt-slaves. Their movement within the ship was quite limited, and their living quarters were even smaller than the Sailor berths. On a daily basis, they either wore shackles and moved cannon shells under the supervision of Sailors, or engaged in high-risk physical activities.
Even if they weren't the dregs of humanity, they were ruffians and scoundrels. Although their meals were based on the Third Class Sailor standard for ordinary Sailors, due to discrimination and disgust towards criminals and gamblers, as well as the administrative difficulties of managing a large number of indentured laborers, their food generally could not fully meet their needs, and it often contained various strange "additives."
The sources of ordinary indentured laborers were even broader. They were either vagrants and refugees who couldn't make ends meet and came to the Imperial Navy for a living.
Or they were Imperial civilians who voluntarily joined to earn a living on warships for service pay.
There were also able-bodied men "forcibly conscripted" by the governors of certain worlds to fulfill the Ministry of Internal Affairs tithe.
The process of forced conscription was both ridiculous and pathetic.
Sturdy Planetary Defense Forces Soldiers, led by their Voidsmen-at-Arms Officers, would smash open doors with rifle butts, forcibly dragging away husbands and their wives from their beds. Any resistance would be met with blows.
Sometimes, to avoid delays, the couple would even be carried away naked.
If mercy was shown and only one was dragged away, the remaining one would often collapse, heedless of shame, screaming, cursing, chasing to the door, tears streaming down their face.
These forcibly conscripted able-bodied men and all others who joined through other channels would first undergo disinfection and physical examination, then be sent to Imperial Navy warships.
As ordinary people, they had no specialized maritime skills and primarily performed manual labor for the Imperial Navy.
The Imperial Navy did not make things difficult for these poor souls.
In principle, ordinary indentured laborers were stipulated to receive Third Class Sailor treatment, just like ordinary Sailors.
Their range of movement was also much larger than that of controlled indentured laborers, and they had rest periods.
However, Sailors always liked to joke about these people, calling them 'Landsmen' to distinguish themselves and show that their status as Sailors was superior.
Voidsmen-at-Arms also looked down on them, considering them mere laborers and not glorious members of the Imperial Navy, believing that all indentured laborers should be closely watched and guarded.
However, those ordinary indentured laborers with special talents could exceptionally serve as Sailors to complete the remaining terms of their contracts.
This would increase their chances of survival during their remaining years at sea and make their lives more comfortable, so many people would try to learn useful skills.
All Fleets had regulations specifying how many patrols indentured laborers needed to complete to finish their contracts and regain their freedom.
For the Gothic Fleet, it was 12 patrols. This could consume a decade of these people's lives, and only a few could endure that long.
Once an indentured laborer reached this number and survived.
If they were a criminal, their crimes would be pardoned. If they were a debt-slave, their debts would be forgiven.
If they were an ordinary indentured laborer, they would receive a substantial sum of money.
This service pay was enough for them to buy a two-bedroom apartment in the lower Middle Hive upon returning home, living a moderately prosperous life by Imperial standards.
These benefits were the main reasons Imperial civilians joined the indentured laborer ranks.
They would also receive an 'Imperial Navy Obligation Fulfillment Certificate.'
With this certificate, they could be exempt from forced conscription for the rest of their lives.
If they wished, they could also use this certificate to remain on the ship and become a formal Sailor.
If they were strong, healthy, and loyal, there was also a chance of becoming a Voidsmen-at-Arms.
Many people chose to do so because even the lowest Third Class Sailor standard meals in the Imperial Navy were much better than their original lives.
These tooth-breaking hardtack biscuits and overly salty Imperial Navy salted meat were, in any case, better tasting than corpse starch.
And the ale and grog were sweeter than the foul-smelling purified water of the Hive City.
If a naval battle was won and they survived, and the Captain was pleased, everyone could get an extra meal.
In addition to the existing rations of dehydrated or freeze-dried vegetables, they would also be given some fresh vegetables or moss harvested from the ship's hydroponic farm.
Hardtack biscuits would be replaced with mixed flour (wheat, oats, rye, barley) bread fried in butter.
They would also receive an extra piece of cheese, a few cigarettes, and additional high-proof alcohol.
This was for Third Class, not to mention the Second Class Sailors and the First Class Sailor treatment enjoyed by Navy Breachers.
Even the occasional black-headed white maggots that appeared in long-voyage rations were cleaner and more hygienic than those found in the rotten food of the Lower Hive.
Horatio remembered reading a Royal Navy Midshipman from the Age of Sail stating in his log: Maggots are like calf's foot jelly, cool and refreshing to eat.
In short, however it was described, he did not want to eat maggots, and he now needed to intercept these remnants.
Below were all controlled indentured laborers, and among them might be the pirates and void slavers Horatio had captured last time.
A group of Voidsmen-at-Arms lined up on the upper deck unleashed a volley at the fleeing Blood Pact Soldiers below, killing or wounding several in one round.
About 400 men followed Horatio down, with other Sailors from nearby staircases tightening the encirclement below.
"Attention everyone! The enemy is coming!"
Under the loud shout of the Armed Officer, the Voidsmen-at-Arms on the lower gun deck quickly assembled, and the operators of the multi-barreled lascannons aimed their guns at the stairs behind them.