Dedicate loyalty to the good empire

Chapter 405 Damocles
The Regent assigned Taylor several Moon-class cruisers and Sword-class destroyers that belonged to him. Although it was only command power, it was equivalent to a huge force.

Every man who sailed those ships was chosen by Guilliman's closest associates, and every one of them was sworn not to betray the Imperium, not to betray the Regent.

That loyalty allows them to accept the arrival of greenskins on their ships, while also providing them with a considerable degree of combat effectiveness.

Now they all belong to Taylor, a total of 6 battleships, 4 Sword-class frigates, and 2 Moon-class cruisers. They are all new ships and fully loaded with ammunition.

And every Imperial warship represents the right to easily decide the life or death of a planet without orbital defense capabilities.

For small hive worlds without heavy railguns or non-Mechanicus bases and non-fortress worlds, the inferior Skyfire equipment is their only defense.

A huge battleship is enough to determine their life or death, just like the difference between gods and mortals.

Therefore, the ownership of each battleship is also a very important asset to the empire. It can even be said that every battleship captain is worth a lot of money.

For a long time, those who can use warships within the empire have been the top of the pyramid of human civilization, undoubtedly the upper class.

The most typical example is the generals of the Imperial Navy. Although they do not own the ship, they are not its owners, but they still have lifelong ownership of the ship.

This is almost equivalent to being the owner, and every general in the Imperial Navy is a veteran captain who has experienced many battles, and most of them come from prominent backgrounds.

Apart from those officers, the only ones who can control warships are Imperial Inquisitors, Space Marine Chapter Masters, Wandering Merchants and a very small number of extremely wealthy planetary governors.

Now it seems that Taylor can be considered to be on par with them. Of course, this also refers to the admirals of the Imperial Navy, the commanders of the founding chapters and the merchant dynasties.

Taylor has experienced a lot, from a man who struggled in the mud of the trenches to a force that is now comparable to a chapter leader.

But compared to the twisted and terrifying aliens and Chaos traitors, the warships in Taylor's hands seemed inadequate.

The joy disappeared instantly after thinking of this. Looking at the Moon-class flagship in front of him through the window of the transport plane, the huge metal monster was emitting a faint light in the void.

She was so vibrant, completely different from the Imperial warships Taylor had seen before. Her entire body was made of brand new adamantine and ceramite.

Even the oldest macro cannon, which was transported from Mars, has only been in service for 200 years and is still polished to a gleaming shine.

Taylor couldn't help but say, "She's so damn beautiful!"

"Emperor, I never thought I would have such a fine ship as my flagship. I thought Guilliman would give me the whole rag that participated in the Gothic War."

"Actually, it's not at all..." Roland exclaimed.

"The magnanimity and generosity of the Primarch are beyond our estimation..."

He couldn't help but utter a bunch of flattering words, although Taylor did admit that Guilliman was indeed generous.

A brand new battleship is indeed good, but not everything is as he wished.

For example, the name of this ship.

Damocles...

This name is not without profound meaning. On the contrary, the Sword of Damocles is an ancient allusion that can be traced back to the story of ancient Terra Europa.

It tells the story of an ancient Greek king who put a sword on his head to symbolically represent the embodiment of power.

In other words, Guilliman was beating himself up.

Secondly, Damocles also represents danger and uncertainty, like a sword that may fall at any time and point directly at your head.

It’s okay to interpret this thing as an unexpected sword of judgment, or it’s okay to interpret it as something hanging on your head.

This made Taylor very embarrassed. He could not deny Guilliman's expectations, nor could he ignore the Primarch's concerns about him.

But when he stepped onto the battleship, those things had disappeared.

The new corridors were all made of brand new iron sheets, and the air squeezed out from the air pumps was as fresh as the air on the ground. There was no deadly smell of motor oil, nor were there the most vicious threats from the Genestealers.

Everything looked so good, and the young marines, all dressed up, saluted him as he landed.

Each of those young people came from the fortress world created by Guilliman, and was filled with the resentment of the new Imperials towards the aliens and the martial style of the fortress world.

The idol of the new generation of young people in the empire is almost Taylor. He is the mortal role model of the empire after the Great Rift.

By this time, when he arrived at the Damocles, most of the naval officers who were still able to leave their positions had arrived here.

This refers to those who can leave or do not need to be on duty 24 hours a day, and naturally does not include the captain.

The good news was that Taylor was taken to visit the mess hall and the armory, and Guilliman thoughtfully prepared enough food for him, as well as a carbon dioxide infuser for soda and an ice cream machine.

Compared with this brand new battleship, these two are simply antiques. Even though they are cherished and maintained, the dents and marks left by countless uses will not disappear.

It looked like something out of a museum, but after Taylor successfully proved its usability using a few portions of sugar and milk powder, he was actually quite happy while eating the cold ice cream and soda that tasted a bit like motor oil.

The Primarch has me in his heart...

The previous fabrications and doubts about the name of the Damocles have disappeared. To be frank, the war hero who has caused headaches for countless demons and heretic lords is actually that easy to bribe.

He didn't want large numbers of war engines and soldiers, nor did he need hundreds of worlds and countless honors. As for women?

He never lacks.

The only things that could corrupt him were good food and rest, relaxation and pleasure.

If Guilliman gave him some arts classes next time, Taylor could fall even further, but it was clear that for now, all he needed was an ice cream maker and a bubble injector.

After he had lunch with his brothers in the mess hall, he was asked to go to the bridge to meet the captain.

He was actually quite curious about who could hold such a position, but when he arrived at the bridge, he was not greeted by an old face or an antique imperial aristocrat.

Instead, he was a young man, only three years younger than Taylor.

Taylor said with a hint of amazement. "Such a young admiral?"

"Lieutenant General?"

The more he looked at the man, the more familiar he seemed. The young man smiled and said, "Sir, you are so forgetful."

At this point Taylor remembered that this was the young man for whom he had written a letter of introduction!
"Holy crap, you got promoted like a rocket!"

The young man blushed and said, "Firstly, it's all thanks to you, my Lord, for writing such a long letter of introduction for me, and secondly, I'm now the son-in-law of the Cartierolan family."

Taylor looked at him in surprise. "You're not that handsome, are you?"

The young man said, "I saved her from the Imperial pirates. It was just a drawbridge effect."

Taylor said. "Good luck is part of it. What does it look like?"

The young man replied, "The most beautiful thing in the world."

"But I need to repay the kindness of my mentor. Secondly, our relationship has become an opportunity for me to become captain."

"No matter what, I will follow you even through mountains of swords and seas of fire!"

Taylor smiled wryly. "The place I'm going to is more terrifying than a mountain of swords and a sea of fire..."

(End of this chapter)