"How does it taste?" Farida asked curiously, leaning closer as Mr. Horatio carefully chewed.
"The meat is firm and juicy. With every bite, the savory and sweet juices burst in your mouth like popping boba. If I had to compare it… it's like some kind of poultry in flavor, but with the texture of Grox meat."
What Mr. Horatio really meant was that the meat tasted like chicken, but its texture was as firm and springy as beef.
"You should try it. I think it tastes quite good."
Hearing him say that, Farida also became somewhat more accepting of the fragrant, thick-cut meat slices on the silver platter in front of her.
She delicately cut off a small piece from the edge, then speared it with her fork.
With just that slight poke, glistening meat juices oozed from the point of entry.
Faced with the enticing aroma of the meat, she couldn't help but swallow.
The young woman, dressed in a Naval Officer uniform, elegant and beautiful yet spirited, parted her pink lips and placed the meat into her small mouth.
With a slight movement of her lips and teeth, the meat fell onto her tongue.
The warm, soft texture indeed felt like eating Grox meat.
But this was white meat, naturally lacking the slight gaminess inherent in red meat.
Chewing carefully, it was considerably more delicious than Grox meat, with sweet juices and an inviting meaty aroma.
"It really is delicious," she replied to Mr. Horatio with a serene smile.
Every officer who tasted the beast praised it profusely.
Mr. Horatio looked at the monster's enormous body and couldn't help but recall a law of this world: the more fierce and brutal an animal, the more delicious it is and the higher its economic value.
Just like Grox, Antcow, and this Kolo Tarid, which was valuable from head to tail.
"Our Mr. Horatio's performance in this naval battle was truly astonishing."
Commodore Peru looked at Mr. Horatio and extended his wine glass to him.
"If not for that crucial shot of his that disabled the Dreadnought-class Light Cruiser's engine, I fear this disgrace to the Imperial Navy would have continued, perhaps for hundreds of years without resolution. And all of us here today would have lost a large sum in hunting bounties."
Commodore Peru praised him loudly to everyone at the table without reservation.
"Miss Farida Hood also played a very significant and critical role. I thank her for her precise, meticulous, and swift calculations and calibrations."
He raised and extended his wine glass to the Commodore.
Mr. Horatio did not take sole credit, sharing the glory with his diligent subordinate beside him.
Like a Gentleman leading a Lady by her delicate hand, he drew her, somewhat unaccustomed, into the conversation.
"Ah…" Farida immediately looked up, politely raising the stemmed glass placed to her right with her gloved, delicate hand.
"You flatter me. Mr. Horatio's guidance was excellent. I must mention that he worked very hard today.
He not only commanded the Macro cannon array exceptionally well but also bravely led the armed forces to repel the enemy's invasion.
His timing for the armed summon decision is something I need to study as a case reference."
"Mr. Horatio's timing for issuing the armed summon was appropriate. I have thoroughly reviewed it in the Military Prison's records." Military Prison Carson, who had drunk some strong liquor, exhaled, but his mind was clearly very sharp.
When an officer issues an armed summon, after the battle, Military Prisons from the ship department and another Naval Officer will come to inspect the timing of the order, as well as records of damage and losses, to ensure that the officer's decision was reasonable.
After all, after an order is issued, the loss of firearms is inevitable. The more times it is issued, the more are lost.
Abuse of power on a confined warship is a terrible thing.
Perhaps an extremist Sailor, who had secretly kept a laser pistol, would raise the gun to the head of the officer who punished him when he was unprepared.
There weren't many officers on a ship to begin with.
Everyone had important duties, not to mention if the assassinated person happened to be a Military Prison, the First Officer, or even the Captain?
"Of course, your heroic deeds today have impressed all of us. You will receive Navy Department prestige and bonus dividends."
Captain Peru raised his glass and loudly declared to the officers before him: "Ladies and Gentlemen, let us congratulate Mr. Kirkland and Miss Hood for their outstanding performance."
Clink! Everyone raised their glasses, congratulating the handsome man and beautiful woman.
"What are Navy Department prestige dividends and bonus dividends?" Farida asked Mr. Horatio in a low voice, twirling her eyes with some confusion after taking a small sip of her drink.
"The former is a prestige award from the Navy, and the latter is an actual material reward," Mr. Horatio explained with a smile, taking a small sip of the wine in his glass:
"For every voidship captured or effectively sunk, everyone will receive a proportional share of the dividends based on tonnage, ship class, rarity, and the value of the supplies and treasures on board."
Farida blinked, listening as Mr. Horatio elaborated.
"In this naval battle, we sank three cruisers, captured one light cruiser, and destroyed four attack craft.
The capture bonus total is equivalent to the value of the enemy ship, while sinking only yields one-fifth of the value.
The Navy Department rewards captured enemy ships more highly because it not only brings victory but also adds strategic and logistical value.
This is also why the Imperial Navy is so obsessed with boarding actions: officers crave to capture enemy ships.
Based on each warship and the actual damage inflicted on the enemy ship, the warship that wins a one-on-one engagement receives all the spoils equivalent to the enemy ship's value, while warships participating in a coordinated attack receive a proportional share in the first wave of distribution.
Of course, this is an internal award within the Imperial Navy, so the battle results achieved by Space Marines and the Adeptus Mechanicus will also be equally distributed among the Navy warships that inflicted damage on that ship.
Taking the Incessant as an example, once the first wave of ship-based dividends is tallied, all the spoils received by the Incessant will be proportionally distributed among all the ship's enlisted crew.
Captain Peru, as the Fleet Commander, is entitled to one-eighth of the entire fleet's total bonus. Additionally, as Captain, he also receives one-quarter of the Incessant's total bonus pool as a reward.
The 69 officers on the Incessant will proportionally divide one-quarter of the Incessant's total bonus based on their seniority and rank.
Non-Navy Department officers then receive another one-quarter, such as Tech-Sages, ship Military Prisons, Ecclesiarchy personnel, Medical Officers, and the hundreds of Masters serving as civilian officials.
The final one-quarter will be distributed to the entire ship's 150,000 crew members according to the proportional treatment of different classes of Sailors."
"So, how much will we get?"
Seeing Farida ask this, Mr. Horatio made an estimate based on the memories he had seen in his mind.
A Dreadnought-class Light Cruiser costs hundreds of millions, not to mention the supplies loaded inside.
"A Midshipman's share is one-third of a Naval Captain's, roughly over six million gothic coins.
This is equivalent to your father's fixed monthly salary when he is idle as a Rear Admiral. If an officer disembarks for rest or is not assigned a specific duty, their salary will be reduced to half of the original."
Mr. Horatio quickly calculated a conservative estimate in his mind; the actual bonus received would only be more, possibly even approaching eight million.
In the previous Q-ship operation, Lieutenant Stirling gave Mr. Horatio a Captain's share.
Mr. Horatio received one-quarter of the combined value of the two captured ships and the thousands of tons of Lucius-produced armaments, which only amounted to ten million.
This time, just a Midshipman's share could be over six million.
One can imagine that in the near future,
his income when he becomes a commissioned Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy will certainly allow him to live a very respectable and opulent life, free from worries.