The day before St. Giles Festival, was Peace Day.
Horatio sat in the Romanesque music hall cinema of the academy, because Rear Admiral Edward and Rear Admiral Hood had given him a full day off to rest, as he was leading the security detail tomorrow.
He had a good sleep and was now watching a military propaganda film jointly produced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department of Military Affairs, his pupils changing color with the light beam.
A battle-damaged Imperial Aquila flag gradually appeared on the screen, followed by the words: 'This is an epic praising the outstanding achievements of the Imperial Guard Cadia 31st Regiment, supervised by the Imperial Military Affairs Department. All the brave warriors in this film have returned to the Golden Throne.'
After these words disappeared, they were replaced by the huge movie title—"Hold the Line to the Death".
"Hey, Horatio." Louise sat beside him; as Horatio's subordinate, she had been busy helping him with everything during this period.
"Good evening, Louise." Horatio leaned back on the soft sofa, greeting her with a smile.
The beginning of the film told the story of a group of Cadia recruits, trained at the same time, conflicting and then adapting to each other. These recruits, known as White Shields, still had the innocent naiveté of youth on their faces.
"You served in it before."
"Yes."
Louise stared intently, a sparkle in her purple eyes: "Cadia is a planet where everyone is a soldier. I learned a lot there."
The film's protagonist gradually grew up, meeting and falling in love with a girl he had known since childhood. Everything on Cadia was tied to war; even love was intertwined with the camaraderie of battle.
Then, the screen changed.
The White Shield Youth Regiment, to which the film's protagonist belonged, completed its combat reorganization, and he was promoted to Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer due to his outstanding performance. Soon, the regiment was transferred to a nearby planet under attack by Chaos Rebels, as reinforcements for the Imperial Guard Cadia 31st Regiment.
On the last night before their departure, the protagonist and the girl, whose affection had grown deep, kissed while looking at the ominous Eye of Terror, seemingly realizing what this transfer meant.
But in the face of duty, love was insignificant.
The Cadia 31st Regiment was ordered to hold a high ground. The regimental commissar shouted the slogan 'Hold the line, never retreat!' and soon, he was martyred in a brutal close-quarters battle.
The film's protagonist's friends fell one after another, and his lover, critically wounded, fell to the ground, dying alongside the enemy who rushed to seize the regimental flag from her hands.
Louise suddenly sat up straight. Horatio glanced at her beside him; her eyes held both yearning and a unique sadness belonging to Cadia.
Even the protagonist's former arch-rival, before dying, told him to survive and hold the line.
Until dawn the next day, when new reinforcements arrived, the film's protagonist knelt on the ground, his body already cold, but the 31st Regiment's flag in his hand still flew above the position.
The loyal two-headed eagle still stood tall…
With a silent handover, the Cadia 31st Regiment completed its mission, and the movie ended.
Looking at the long list of names and eulogies of those who sacrificed in this battle, which appeared in the credits, Horatio exhaled with a sigh of emotion.
He knew that the Imperial Army Soldiers had an extremely high casualty rate, and the Imperium of Man would surely remember them.
"Sacrifice is the cornerstone of the Imperium of Man," Louise said calmly.
"I thought you'd be very moved," Horatio said jokingly.
Even though the movie was very moving, Louise didn't seem to be sentimental enough to cry because of it.
"Such stories unfold daily on Cadia, and the tears of Cadias dried up the moment they cried at birth," Louise smiled, answering with a maxim from her homeworld.
"For the rest of the time, would you like to go for a drink together?" Horatio invited.
"I'd be glad to, but I have a mission tomorrow, so not too much," Louise turned her face to Horatio, smiling serenely.
"Of course."
—
Outside the warm Imperial Navy Academy restaurant bar, light snow began to fall, creating a picturesque scene.
The young Imperial Navy Sergeant Major admired the snowflakes as they floated, fell, and melted. Beside him sat a mature, tall Female Sergeant Major, wearing long black military boots and exuding an air of heroic spirit.
Having such an exquisite and beautiful woman accompanying him initially stirred some jealousy, but their gazes were drawn to the Sergeant Major's rank insignia, which gleamed coldly at his collar. Some cadets recognized him and, as if seeing a celebrity, excitedly approached Horatio for autographs.
Not only because this descendant of Spire was the youngest Sergeant Major in the history of the Gothic Fleet.
Everyone among the cadets had heard of his exploits, including single-handedly killing Chaos Space Marines, saving a cruiser for the Imperial Navy, receiving commendation and recognition from the Blood Angels, commanding patrol boat 1 to fight 5 and achieving a void battle victory, and leading the Hellspawns to rescue hostages at the opera house and thwart a terrorist attack within 20 minutes.
However, Horatio didn't want to spend his entire evening off signing autographs for cadets, especially after signing thirteen already…
"Sorry, we need some private time now. Next time," Horatio smiled as he politely declined the 14th cadet waiting in line, who looked quite disappointed.
"You really are always busy," Louise smiled, bringing her glass, filled with Amasec brown liquid, to her lips.
"Sorry."
Horatio looked at her palm, which bore a burn scar, and brought up the purpose of his invitation: "Speaking of which, what happened to your palm?"
"A rescue eight years ago. That day was truly like hell descended, with shuttle wreckage falling like fire rain from the sky."
Louise looked at the burn scar in her palm, recalling: "I went to the closest shuttle to me. There was a boy inside, his face covered in blood, but he was still alive. At the time, I didn't think much of it; I just grabbed an iron bar and tried to pull him out. And then, as you can see, the intense heat left its mark on me, but I don't regret it."
Horatio swallowed the drink in his throat: "Thank you."
"What?" Louise chuckled.
"Do you believe it? That boy was me."
"You're joking, if that was you, how would you have come from the Lower…" Louise trailed off mid-sentence, turning her beautiful, icy face to Horatio, scrutinizing his features.
[That boy… he also had black hair. His features… they're a bit similar too. Could it really be him?]
"After you rescued me, since I had no identification, I was sent as the sole surviving orphan to the nearest Lower Hive orphanage. But because I couldn't stand the brutality and environment there, I escaped, and then all those things in the archives happened."
Horatio drained the drink in his glass, exhaling a long, turbid breath. He looked at Louise's face, a smirk playing on his lips as he said, "Thank you, Louise. If it weren't for your heroic act back then, I might not be here today."
Louise looked at the handsome young man before her, first speechless, then she chuckled softly: "It seems the God-Emperor had already arranged everything in the shadows."
"Happy Peace Night, Louise. To the God-Emperor…" Horatio said, looking up at the black sky outside the window, where snowflakes danced.
Tomorrow was the day the Khorne Evil Cultists would launch a large-scale attack, and many people would die.
He had wanted to say more blessings like 'May we all return safely,' but this was an extremely dark world. The more one hoped for something, the more the Evil God would take it away, pushing people to despair, then offering an irresistible price to entice them to submit.
He didn't want to'set a flag' before going into battle, so he only made his wishes in his heart to the Emperor and Sanguinius.
Louise saw Horatio's hesitation; she knew what he was worried about.
She poured some wine for Horatio, placed her hand on his muscular shoulder, resting it on the scarlet tassel, and clinked glasses with him: "To peace."
The two glasses gently clinked together, producing a clear sound.
"To peace."