The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

Veritus sneered, feeling that he had seen the key.

"Where's the number of people?"

He questioned, "The Code stipulates that a regiment cannot exceed a thousand men, but an 'elite' like this must probably number far more than that, right?"

“Indeed, there is more than that.”

Kurland admitted frankly: "If there are only a thousand of us, this regiment will not be able to deal with the green tide of orcs."

"Ha, it's just a reskin of the Legion!"

Veritus was about to continue his sarcasm, but Leon stepped forward and interrupted him.

He walked to the front of the stage, and Kurland took a step back, giving his seat to Leon.

"That's not true, Lord Veritus. At least the gene-seed of the various Chapters is not concentrated."

Veritus looked at Leon and realized that the Imperial Fists could come up with this, and his hand must have been in it.

He suspected that Li Ang was a living saint, but he would not blindly follow this idea.

After all, he is first and foremost a judge.

Veritus' professional ethics required him to maintain a cautious attitude towards this mysterious sage.

"What's the difference?"

He asked in return: "I can still see the soil in which ambitions can grow."

"Believe me, this soil never existed in the first place."

Li Ang waved his hand and projected a detailed analytical diagram for everyone present.

"This Chapter... let's call it Death Watch. As the price of its unique organizational structure, Death Watch does not recruit its own soldiers. Each of its members will be selected and formed by those Chapters willing to participate in Death Watch. They will be deployed throughout the galaxy to become the vanguard against the aliens, dealing with those alien threats that the Empire has no time to react to or realize."

Replenishing new soldiers is the lifeblood of a regiment.

Survival within the Astartes Chapter is one of the highest priorities, even outweighing honor and disgrace in certain circumstances.

A war group that cannot replenish new blood on its own will find it difficult to become an expanding force.

"This is consistent with Guilliman's concept, isn't it? Each of them comes from a different Chapter, and is merely an independent individual temporarily assigned to your command. They also have the possibility of returning to their original Chapter after their service is completed. They won't truly become a whole that you fear."

Leon's words were indeed very convincing. Even Veritus had to admit that a regiment that could not recruit new soldiers could indeed use this to exchange for some "privileges" in its organizational structure.

He relaxed, no longer harping on whether it was feasible. "So, how did you initially plan to form this Death Watch?"

"We anticipate accepting Space Marines from any Chapter who wish to join the Deathwatch, but the initial framework for this Chapter can only be built by those of us present here—the Imperial Fists Chapters—who will draw upon personnel from their own Chapters."

“How many will there be?”

"Not too many, maybe one company from each regiment."

Veritus's eyelids twitched slightly.

He calls this not too much?

Can this be called not becoming a subject?

He realized that the Death Watch would inevitably become a major body under the leadership of the Imperial Fists, a special chapter formed mainly by the Sons of Dorn.

Afterwards, they might try to cram people into the Deathwatch, freeing up vacancies for their own chapter to replenish their members, thus completing a legal and compliant small-scale overstaffing.

…but that’s all.

Accommodating members of various chapters ensures that this chapter will only unite for the common goal of fighting the aliens. If they want to raise the banner of rebellion against the Empire, the chapter will fall into internal strife.

The Inquisition only needs to ensure the proportion of personnel from chapters other than the Imperial Fist within this chapter to ensure that the Death Watch is only a sharp blade against the aliens.

Although this meant that even the Inquisition would have to actively recruit members into the Deathwatch, helping them recruit troops outside the Imperial Fist system, Wangorich, who supported the reorganization of the Legion, ultimately held the overall decision-making power of the High Lords Council.

Compared with directly reorganizing the legion, this result is already acceptable.

Veritus was almost ready to give in and agree to the formation of Death Watch.

However, just as he was about to nod, his eyes swept across a corner of the organizational chart.

There were markings of a section he had never heard of before, and it was clearly not related to the Astartes Chapter.

"Wait, what's the rest of this diagram?"

"That's 'Jedi Diver'."

Li Ang's tone was calm, as if he was discussing a trivial matter. "It's just the extended power of Death Watch."

"Jedi Diver?"

Veritus frowned. The word sounded strange and harsh to his ears. "I have never heard of such a formation in the Imperial Armed Forces."

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it, because this is a brand new concept proposed by me. No matter how many Astartes there are, they are rare compared to the entire galaxy. When Ork spores erupt on a marginal planet or Eldar pirates raid an agricultural world, we can't always count on a company in power armor to be stationed nearby."

"In order to deal with the alien threat throughout the galaxy, Death Watch must have a rapid response mechanism. Jedi Divers are born for this purpose."

An ominous premonition spread in the hearts of the representatives of the Tribunal, while Leon continued to explain.

Leon waved his hand slightly, and the human silhouettes marked as "submarines" on the schematic diagram were injected into the stasis chamber. Then the ship model decomposed into dozens of flickering light spots, scattered throughout the galaxy projection.

"The Jedi diver squads under Death Watch will be composed of mortals. After receiving special training, they will be led by a small number of Astartes and cruise the galaxy for long periods of time on cryogenically equipped destroyers. By rotating in cryogenic conditions, they can continue on duty for a decade or more. They will become the eyes and claws of Death Watch. Once they detect signs of an alien threat, the nearest diver squad will be thawed and awakened, establish a defense line, and call in the Thunder Strike from the main Death Watch company."

The ominous premonition turned into a bone-chilling chill that ran up Veritus' spine and onto the back of his head.

Jedi Diver?

How could they possibly be considered reinforcements? This was clearly—

The mortal auxiliary army with a new name!

Chapter 231: The Legion’s Pocket Frame.

Veritus slammed the table and stood up, his voice almost roaring.

"Jedi Diver? They're just mortal auxiliaries under a different name! The Legiones Astartes and their vassal armies, this tactic was used during the Great Crusade!"

The mortal legions are under the direct command of the Astartes? This is even more dangerous than the Astartes reuniting to form a legion!

Even if Leon's identity remains a mystery, he will never allow this dangerous signal to be established or even grow within the empire!

The high lords were silent, only Leon looked at Veritus calmly.

"They're called Jedi Divers because they infiltrate alien threats that are more advanced than regular Astra Militarum, providing valuable intelligence to the Empire. Their mission is early warning and delaying. Their only armed forces are the light weapons and small ships they have on hand, and they don't form a complete combat system."

"And what about the Astartes who led them?"

"They don't have conscription rights themselves."

"Even so, you are still restoring the Legion's framework!"

"If that were the case, why would we impose the restriction of no conscription? More importantly, this is the best option for dealing with the alien crisis, Lord Veritus. I hope you recognize this, rather than simply denying it and failing to come up with a better idea."

A better idea?

Veritus was speechless for a moment: "The Inquisition and the Imperial Army are enough to deal with most threats!"

"Interesting. As far as I know, the Empire can't deploy a cruiser in every remote sector, and your Inquisition also doesn't have its own armed forces besides the acrobatic troupes gathered from all over the Empire."

Li Ang did not raise his voice, but his attitude became more aggressive.

"The power of the Inquisitors depends on their personal prestige and the amount of troops they can mobilize from across the Empire. But when the entire Empire is in crisis and everyone is busy taking care of themselves, how many troops can the Inquisition mobilize?"

Veritus was speechless.

He had to admit that what Li Ang said was true.

If there had been no crisis, the situation with the Isstvanite Inquisitor in Covenant Harbor could have been handled by the Inquisition alone, but the fact was that the Inquisition at that time was unable to withdraw any forces from the empire that could handle the crisis.

He instructed Fratilena to cooperate with the Final Wall in Covenant Harbor as both a test and a helpless choice.

He originally thought that this cooperation would also be within his plan and under his control, just like their secret manipulation of the High Lords' Council.

But everything was ruined.

Ultimately, the rise of the Wall exceeded the Inquisition's expectations, and the sudden attack by the Assassin's Court caused the situation on Terra to slip out of the Inquisition's control.

Veritus suddenly realized that he was standing on the brink of a historic compromise.

The Inquisition had no seats in Parliament and no military power, so he had no choice but to compromise.

…But compromise does not mean failure.

Even those Primarchs, revered as gods by mortals, never truly ruled the Imperium for a thousand years.

Wangorichi's control over the High Lords' Council might last for ten or a hundred years, but it would never last for more than a thousand years.

They will eventually decay and turn to ash, but the shadow of the Inquisition will forever hang below the steps of the Emperor's throne.

They can wait until Wangorichi's power weakens, until the Death Watch's edge dulls, and then gradually cut off these overly powerful forces.

But first, he needs to lay the groundwork for this compromise.

"If Death Watch must be established... then the Inquisition needs to ensure its actions are monitored."

Supervision...

Li Ang knew what the representative of the trial court was planning.

He looked at this old fox who had lived for fifteen hundred years. The calmness he had shown before when he was about to die was gone, and only scheming and calculation remained.

How about he become the founder of the Tribunal?

But he had already thought of this: "Lord Veritus, you seem to have misunderstood something. The establishment of Death Watch is not a threat to the Inquisition; on the contrary, it can be your most powerful tool."

tool?

The judge frowned slightly, then calmly adjusted his posture, intending to hear what other sweet words the sage might come up with to deceive him.

"The Inquisition's duty is to track down and deal with all threats within the Imperium, isn't it? But times have changed. The Rise of the Beast proves that threats don't just come from those... evil things in the Warp. The aliens in the real universe are also a major threat to us. But in this new situation, the Inquisition's organization is too scattered, and its resources cannot be concentrated."

Veritus did not object.

The Inquisition's influence is vast but bloated. Many alien threats in remote sectors are never reported, simply because local Inquisitors are more interested in hunting down heretics or testing "loyalty" than reporting these "insignificant" threats to the Inquisition, lest they be troubled by the Inquisition's orders for more detailed intelligence.

The more you know, the less you know. This is no different in the courtroom.

"But what if the Inquisition could establish a department dedicated to aliens, share some intelligence with Death Watch, recommend the deployment of Jedi diver's troops, and even give Death Watch priority response rights to requests for assistance from this department?"

Shared intelligence? Priority response?

Leon's suggestion made Veritus' heartbeat slightly faster.

It sounded like a deal: Leon wanted to ensure that the Death Watch wouldn't be completely hostile to the Inquisition, while the Inquisition would gain some influence over the Death Watch.

"You mean..."

He probed cautiously.

"As long as it does not contradict the purpose of Death Watch, Death Watch will become your sword when fighting against the aliens."

Leon's words confirmed Viritus's guess and made Viritus completely excited.

As stated before, the Inquisition is severely lacking in armed forces under its direct control.

There is a huge difference between an Inquisitor's retainers and a full-scale army, and the strength beyond the retainers depends on the personal influence of each Inquisitor and whether they have enough benefits to exchange with "reinforcements".

After some consideration, Veritus realized that cooperating with the Death Watch was indeed the best option for the Inquisition.

As the founder of the Inquisition and the one entrusted by Malcador, Veritus holds the key to Titan.

This key can unlock the fortress monastery that has been sealed for thousands of years and unveil the Emperor's final gift - the Grey Knights, who were transformed from the Knights-Errant.

This hidden Chapter is a secret known to only a few within the Imperium.

As the bearer of this key, Veritus believed that his friendship with Garviel Loken and Malcador's appointment would make these Grey Knights allies and aids of the Inquisition.

But in the past thousand years, this chapter has never been deployed even once.

The Grey Knights have been confined to their monastery, which has a specially constructed time-speeding stand to ensure that the Chapter, which initially consisted of only eight men, can be rapidly recruited.

Veritus didn't know when they would be able to reach the size of a chapter, and he couldn't place all his hopes of the Inquisition's military strength on the Grey Knights.

The Death Watch and their Jedi operatives are deployed throughout the galaxy, meaning that the Inquisitors roaming the Empire are likely to receive assistance from the Astartes of the Death Watch when they need strength.

Even if there were no Astartes nearby, they could at least get a few "Jedi Divers".

He was worried about the expansion of Death Watch power, but if this power shared common interests with the Inquisition and could be partially used by the Inquisition...

Is that bloat?