Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 416 Re-employment of Veterans

On the brutal battlefields of the Starbound Forces, the value of junior officers far exceeds what is apparent.

Some regimental colonels were even willing to exchange a company of new recruits for a veteran sergeant who had been through three reorganizations—because these battle-hardened veterans had the ability to create miracles in desperate situations.

These veteran sergeants are the pillars of strength on the battlefield and the most vibrant inheritors of the empire's military traditions.

Every scar on their bodies is proof of their combat experience, and every decision they made embodies the wisdom forged in blood and fire.

Within the Star Guardian Army, these junior officers are widely recognized as invaluable assets.

Unlike the officers who wore fancy sashes and clean uniforms but rarely went to the front lines, it was always these scarred veteran sergeants who truly commanded the soldiers in battle and responded to changing circumstances on the front lines.

The combat effectiveness of a regiment often depends on these grassroots backbone personnel—even if there is only one experienced veteran sergeant, he can maintain the basic combat competence of the entire regiment.

These veterans possess the most valuable survival wisdom on the battlefield: they know how to maintain communication amidst heavy artillery fire, how to rationally allocate the last of their ammunition when supplies are cut off, and how to ensure that new recruits survive their first battle.

Therefore, when troops face dangerous missions or critical operations, commanders always entrust important tasks to veterans led by these experienced sergeants without hesitation.

Whether it's a suicidal raid on an alien nest or a desperate mission to hold a line of defense to the death, battlefield experience proves that only these battle-hardened veterans can ensure the mission's success.

In contrast, new recruits often die within fifteen minutes, not even reaching the average survival time of the Astragalus Army—this is the harsh reality of the battlefield.

Paul simply didn't have a single regimental colonel willing to protect him.

When he was wounded for the last time, his entire regiment was wiped out, and Paul survived only by being buried in a pile of dead bodies.

In that encounter with the space necromancers, the entire regiment was wiped out in just three hours.

When the medics pulled him from the pile of corpses, his regimental number had already been permanently removed from the list of casualties.

When the medics pulled him from the pile of corpses, his regimental number had already been permanently removed from the list of casualties.

The regimental flag that once fluttered on countless battlefields is now nothing but charred fragments; those comrades who spent their days and nights together have all become cold statistics.

The medics couldn't even identify him until they scanned the service chip inside his prosthetic limb, confirming that he was the only survivor of the regiment.

He was supposed to be assigned to a new unit. According to the Star Forces' practice, veterans like him would be immediately assigned to combat units that urgently needed non-commissioned officers.

Fortunately, during Paul's hospital stay, Chen Xi managed to shove Kherson III and Kiev into subspace, thus eliminating the main objective of the expedition.

With the sudden turn of the tide of war, the expeditionary force no longer needed to maintain such a large number of combat troops.

Therefore, after recovering, Kaul was eligible for demobilization because he had met the required years of service.

This unexpected stroke of luck allowed him to avoid returning to the battlefield and instead return to his hometown with honor and scars.

This veteran, who had struggled on the battlefield for ten years, could finally put down his heavy laser gun and bid farewell to his comrades who would forever remain on the battlefield.

Upon returning to the Rostov II, he obtained a public position in a law enforcement agency under the Governor's Office, serving as a community sheriff.

It's a very low-level position, but for ordinary citizens of the Empire, a community sheriff is already a very important figure.

Within the empire's rigid hierarchical system, this position meant being able to wear a law enforcement badge, carry standard weapons, and even have the authority to conscript civilians to assist in law enforcement in emergencies.

Paul was very satisfied with the position, especially since he received a set of armor and a mechanical mastiff. The finely crafted armor was far superior to the equipment he had worn on the battlefield, and the mechanically modified mastiff was the perfect partner—its electronic eyes could see in the dark, its reinforced jaws could easily crush bones, and most importantly, it was a loyal and good dog.

This is equipment that only legitimate conscription teams under the Ministry of Justice can obtain. Only a benevolent governor like Chen Xi would equip members of planetary law enforcement agencies who are not under the Ministry of Justice with such elite equipment.

In most worlds, this level of equipment would only be issued to elite forces specifically tasked with suppressing riots.

Now, the first thing Paul does every day when he goes to work is to polish his armor and weapons until they shine, then put on all his gear and take his obedient, loyal, and intimidating-looking mechanical mastiff to patrol the community.

He meticulously maintained the equipment, treating it like a weapon on the battlefield.

This is not just a veteran's habit, but also because he knows that this equipment is something that can save his life in critical moments.

The security situation in Paul's community was not very good. As the governor's government further conscripted soldiers, most of the young and middle-aged men in the community went to the battlefield.

Those young police officers who once patrolled the streets and middle-aged men who maintained order in the markets have now donned the uniforms of the Star Guardians and gone to distant battlefields.

Most adult women were also put to work in nearby factories, producing military supplies for the front lines day and night.

The entire community seemed to have been drained of its vitality, leaving only empty streets and unattended shops.

The community is mostly populated by elderly people and children, which undoubtedly provides an opportunity for criminals.

These social scum sensed an opportunity and swarmed in like carrion.

Stolen goods, extortion, blackmail... all sorts of criminal activities are emerging one after another, and there is even a trend of them getting worse.

The pensions of elderly people living alone were forcibly "borrowed," the ration coupons of orphans and widows were openly robbed, and even the relief supplies of churches were repeatedly stolen.

However, things are improving now that Paul has taken office.

This seasoned veteran, with his battlefield experience, arrived in the community and immediately launched a swift and decisive operation.

He treated these criminals like he was mowing down aliens on a battlefield—no warnings, no negotiations, just relentless attacks.

Paul perfectly applied his battlefield tactical thinking to his security work. He analyzed crime hotspots, set up ambush points, used the tracking ability of his mechanical mastiffs to lock onto targets, and then carried out the arrest with lightning speed.

Paul had only one way of dealing with these criminals: catch them, beat them half to death, and then send them to the nearby conscription office to be put into a penal camp.

His prosthetic limbs could easily crush a criminal's wrist, while the modified mechanical mastiff was specifically designed to sever the Achilles tendons of escapees.

Paul never wasted time on interrogations; he believed the instructors in the disciplinary camps would "reform" these social scum into cannon fodder useful to the empire.

This has greatly reduced local crime and significantly decreased the criminal population.

Of course, there is one downside: the local criminal gangs have come to see Paul as a thorn in their side.

Several remaining crime bosses are plotting in the shadows, offering a large reward for Paul's life.

But the veteran who had experienced the Rostov Expedition just smiled dismissively—even the Gauss weapons of the Necromancers hadn't killed him, so the threat of these street thugs was nothing but child's play to him.

(End of this chapter)