"Mr. Horatio, Miss Hood."
Mr. Horatio, who was chatting, heard the greeting and, along with the officers, looked towards the source of the sound.
The Captains who were seated immediately stood in respectful attention upon seeing the arrivals.
It was none other than the two masters of this giant vessel who approached.
The Captain and the First Officer.
The brilliant gold trim on the Colonel's and Lieutenant's uniforms made them stand out among the Captains, exuding immense authority.
"Commodore Peru, Mr. Sterling," Mr. Horatio said, smiling and saluting the two senior officers who approached.
"Hmm, good. Gentlemen and ladies, how did you feel in the gun emplacement today?" Commodore Peru, as the ship's commander, nodded in return, his expression authoritative yet kindly, as he asked with a smile.
This blend of strength and gentleness, authority without inspiring fear, is a unique quality of a seasoned Captain, achievable only through the accumulation of time.
"It was good, just a bit tired and sore. That ramming impact nearly shook me and the enemy ship apart," Mr. Horatio quipped humorously.
The young man's jocular reply made the Captain and the officers laugh heartily, and the slightly serious atmosphere became relaxed and pleasant again.
Farida's cheeks involuntarily flushed slightly upon hearing such a teasing remark.
Her lips were tightly pursed, and she subtly lowered her head with a hint of shyness.
[This guy is actually bringing this up in front of so many people now.]
Her apologetic gaze held a touch of resentment as she glanced at the tall, handsome young man beside her.
Mr. Horatio held his wine glass, laughing boisterously with the officers, seemingly unconcerned and without any complaints.
She also pursed her lips, then resumed her smile.
However, this also updated her perception of the Imperial Navy.
She had thought that the Imperial Navy was extremely serious in everything they did, and that eating a meal would be just like nobles, requiring strict adherence to etiquette and a myriad of elaborate formalities.
But in reality, although the display before them was grand, it was genuinely a time for relaxation.
Accompanied by the melodious and cheerful music played by the military band, these Naval Captains, who were the darlings of heaven, reclined as comfortably as they pleased, completely unconcerned with their sitting posture.
Yet, their words and actions maintained the elegance of Gentlemen and ladies, making one feel relaxed and at ease, as if attending a private salon.
Those annoying formalities and rules of interest were diluted here to a comfortable degree.
Conversations were also predominantly humorous and witty.
This was in stark contrast to the serious, even oppressive, demeanor she had witnessed from these officers on the bridge.
These officers, Midshipmen, Lieutenants, and Captains, of varying ranks, addressed each other respectfully and chatted casually.
"The end of freedom is chaos, and the end of order is tyranny. Taking the middle ground is the Imperial Navy's principle, so relax," Mr. Horatio said quickly and softly as he passed Farida, then returned to the conversation.
Seeing Mr. Horatio say this, Farida gradually relaxed and joined their conversation.
And she confirmed it from the officers' expressions.
For some reason, now that Mr. Horatio stood beside her, her Untouchable aura was no longer as repulsive as it used to be, where simply standing near someone would make them want to vomit.
Although there was still a slight discomfort, for these seasoned Captains who had endured many battles, it was not an agonizing experience.
[It's truly amazing, how did he do it?] Farida glanced at the young man beside her.
As the officers finished their duties, they arrived one after another.
All equipment was overseen and operated by experienced Warrant Officers.
Even if there was an external enemy, it would not approach combat range too quickly, and surrounding battleships maintained vigilance.
And by taking the dedicated officer's express elevator, everyone could be at their posts within five minutes.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats!"
At the invitation of the 'King' on the battleship, officers, civilian officials, and specialists from other departments stationed on the ship took their seats.
"Please, Miss Hood." Mr. Horatio politely invited Farida to sit down.
Her seat was to his left, and he pulled out a straight, comfortable velvet-covered chair for her.
After everyone was seated.
The Captain tapped a crystal goblet with a silver spoon, producing a clear, melodious sound.
The office servants and young attendants immediately sprang into action, running about.
The official office servants stood behind the Captain and the Lieutenant.
The others, according to gender, each had a young attendant standing behind the officials.
These individuals had the same status as the young attendant who served Mr. Horatio during his simple meal, but they were slightly better off.
Not everyone was qualified to serve officials in the Captain's Office.
These young men and women were the children of the Warrant Officers working on the command bridge; they had received a certain level of education and were well-dressed.
The attendants first presented each seated adult with a gold-rimmed basin for washing their hands, then stood neatly behind the officials, observing their expressions and serving them during the meal.
Throughout the immensely spacious Captain's Office, Commodore Peru sat at the head of the oval table, directly facing everyone.
One curve of the table could comfortably seat three people.
According to the Imperial Navy's unique rules.
Lieutenant Sterling, whose void-blue uniform bore thin gold stripe trim, sat at the curve to his right.
The chair on the left was temporarily vacant.
That seat was reserved for the Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Sage of the Unyielding.
But the Tech-Sage was usually very busy; he needed to monitor the operational readings of the most critical components.
And thanks to modifications, he could survive almost entirely on nutrient fluid, so this seat was usually empty.
To Lieutenant Sterling's right were all the Imperial Navy officers, these exceptional individuals seating themselves in order of their succession in the battleship's command hierarchy.
Seated to the left of the empty spot on the Captain's left was the Ecclesiarchy Monsignor on the battleship.
He was a kind and dignified old man. Monsignor is an honorary title bestowed by the Ecclesiarchy upon priests of the presbyteral order who enjoy the status of a bishop.
These Ecclesiarchy individuals serving the Imperial Navy often receive a higher level of treatment than their original rank.
After all, there are various risks on a battleship, especially during Warp jumps.
The battle-hardened Unyielding still serves the Empire to this day, and the Ecclesiarchy's senior priests have contributed immensely.
"Monsignor has served this battleship since I was a Midshipman. About a hundred years?" Captain Peru asked, leaning forward with a smile and turning his head to look at the Monsignor.
"105 years, Captain," the venerable old man replied with a smile.
"Indeed, he has served the Unyielding three times longer than I have." Captain Peru gave a thumbs-up to all the diners, nodding approvingly.
Next to him on the left was the ship's Military Prison on the Unyielding.
Even while eating, he still wore his authoritative and stern Military Prison's peaked cap, his vigilant and cold eyes never forgetting to survey his surroundings.
"Military Supervisory Committee Carson, deeply experienced, has thwarted countless acts of weakness and betrayal.
It is thanks to these diligent Military Supervisory Committee members that the Empire's valuable assets have been saved from countless attempts of cunning appropriation by evildoers."
Captain Peru introduced him to the diners, primarily the young Midshipmen newly assigned to the ship.
"But do not be afraid; he is a respectable commissioner. As long as everyone fulfills their duties, my old friend will not trouble you."
Military Supervisory Committee Carson nodded.
One more to the left was the Chief Medical Officer.
This respectable Gentleman was dressed no less finely than a Lieutenant.
Mr. Horatio recognized him; this was the Medical Officer who helped him get his medicine.
"You will absolutely not find a more skilled and reliable surgeon in Abyss Port than him.
I tell you, many Captains who were promoted from the Unyielding and lost an arm out there would exclaim, 'Oh dear! Don't move, everyone! I must return to Abyss Port to have Dr. William Harvey amputate my limb!'" Captain Peru mimicked the actions vividly.
The officials dining burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became cheerful and pleasant.
The Chief Medical Officer, wearing a golden-rimmed monocle, even smiled shyly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Further back were various Masters, who were civilian officials, some from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, others professional Masters specially hired by the Navy Department from the civilian sector.
From an overall view, the Captain's right side was for Naval officers, while his left side was for non-Naval officials.
However, when it came to the Midshipmen, it was different.
The Midshipmen were seated according to their assigned port and starboard sides for this assignment.
The seating of these young officers was quite interesting; their seats were assigned based on their department's proximity to the bridge and their side of the ship.
Mr. Horatio and Farida were on the port side, thus on the Captain's left.
Next to Mr. Horatio was the Midshipman from the Power Department, then the Lance Cannon gun crew officer, and then their Macro cannon officer.
The officers of the ship's spine Lance Cannon turrets were interspersed and seated on both sides, followed by the Midshipmen from the bow torpedo bays.
Some people were absent, recuperating from injuries.
For example, only one small boy, with a flushed face, was to Mr. Horatio's right, looking worried about his injured colleagues.
"It is only regrettable that some of our Gentlemen were unfortunately wounded in battle and cannot attend. But by the grace of the God-Emperor, they did not lose their lives. Let us raise our glasses and toast to the health and recovery of these brave, wounded Warriors of the God-Emperor!"
"To the health and recovery of these brave, wounded Warriors of the God-Emperor!" the officials raised their glasses and cheered in unison.