Chapter 217: Selection, Farming, and Getting Screwed Over
Galaspar's second trial… was Galaspar itself.
It began on a rainy day.
Rainwater slid down the tower spires, merging into the muddy ground. People stepped through puddles, gathering in small groups.
They had returned—those who had passed the trials. Massive aircraft roared in the distance as they descended, standing tall and resolute.
And following them… came the giants.
This was Hades' second trial. One candidate for the Astartes program and two administrative personnel would form a team and be assigned a small group of humans.
Because every human in Galaspar had already been given a number, this part was not difficult.
Each temporary team was required to fully assess and report on their assigned region, root out unstable elements, establish basic order, and submit a summary of their governance experience. Meanwhile, dynamic tasks from higher-ups would be issued at any time.
The entire order of Grave Wardens was mobilized as the examiners for this selection process, evaluating the Astartes candidates in real-time—their qualities, abilities, obedience, mental resilience under pressure, and attitude toward ordinary people.
Interestingly, these temporary groups weren't assigned a clear leader—they had to decide that among themselves.
Candidates who passed the selection would undergo surgery to become full-fledged Astartes. Those who failed could choose to join the mortal auxiliary troops or contribute to planetary reconstruction. Administrative personnel who performed well during the trial would immediately be reassigned and put back to work.
Since the trial was meant to evaluate their abilities anyway, Hades figured they might as well get some real work done while at it. Watching the footage sent back by the Grave Wardens, Hades thought: Even if they were just hastily trained, it's still better than nothing. And at least we don't have to worry about this batch's loyalty to the Legion.
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Thanks to the previous management—the Order—every district in Galaspar already had clearly marked maps and administrative numbers. Although the regions were filthy and chaotic, everything was still on record.
Galaspar society was relatively simple. The people there continued their old habits: working and resting. Even though the Death Guards had granted them more free time, most of them hadn't developed any new hobbies. However, because of the recent selection process, some had started training in preparation for the upcoming auxiliary army recruitment.
Overall, Galaspar was surprisingly well-suited for this round of selections. Hades wasn't exactly giving them an unreasonable task.
But… unlike the administrative personnel who had volunteered, the Astartes candidates returning to their homeland were filled with mixed emotions. Most of them had taken part in the first selection round with the mindset of never coming back. To them, Galaspar was filthy and wretched. They would rather join the divine wars in the sky than scrape out a life in Galaspar. Compared to the familiar assembly lines, the holy engines of war held far greater appeal.
But they were sent back. The second round of selection was to rebuild Galaspar—an undeniable rebuke of the ideals they once held. For many, this sparked either deep self-reflection or emotional collapse.
Led by Garro, the Grave Wardens keenly picked up on the spread of this mindset. Those who sank into guilt or trauma were filtered out, while those who could reflect and stay grounded in reality were allowed to advance.
Failure and setbacks are everyday fare on the battlefield. What matters is the willingness to immediately correct oneself after realizing a mistake—without lashing out at comrades emotionally or making rash decisions due to those emotions.
Garro pondered.
He hadn't expected this to be the underlying intent of Hades' selection method.
Though Hades had been primarily focused on the mortal auxiliary troops while the Astartes candidates had always been Garro's responsibility, was it really possible for Hades to infer their psychological patterns from data alone?
Garro knew Hades was far more calculating than he let on, but even so, this level of foresight shocked him.
The second round of selection concluded smoothly—far more so than Hades had anticipated. Perhaps it was because all those deployed had originally come from Galaspar. The locals saw them as the elites among their own people and thus had little reason to resist.
According to the reports from the selection teams and the Grave Wardens, most qualified groups had naturally designated their most administratively capable member as the leader, with the other two providing support. The Astartes candidates within the teams had, in most cases, eliminated at least three sources of instability, taking out local troublemakers and dismantling the early formations of violent gangs.
These trained and educated Galaspar natives also brought back a handful of quirky habits from their training—like dueling cages (fairly normal), literacy poker cards (blame Fuller for that), and brewing toxic alcohol (??). All in all, they significantly enriched the locals' leisure time… and gave them less time to sit around idle.
Some of the more outstanding teams even took initiative without guidance: starting anti-addiction groups, forming clubs like those that encouraged hobbies, or even organizing events that criticized the Order and promoted recruitment into the Death Guard. In short, it was a "let a hundred flowers bloom" situation—everyone showcasing their unique abilities. After stabilizing their regions, these people clearly wanted to stand out more.
Hades was dumbfounded. Crude as these organizations may have seemed to him, he couldn't deny that they were genuinely trying—and actively using their own initiative.
After evaluations by the Grave Wardens, those who engaged in practical and constructive activities were marked for advancement, while those who merely sought to look good while actually disrupting local order were screened out.
By the time the second selection concluded, the Death Guard had gained a Galaspar that was at least partially governed, along with a batch of humble Galaspar natives—pragmatic, hardworking, and willing to reflect and think critically.
The outcome was surprisingly good. If not for the need to maintain his image, Hades would have thrown his head back and laughed out loud. He didn't quite understand why Garro seemed to respect him more than before, but that wasn't important.
The surgical enhancement procedures for those who passed the second selection proceeded as scheduled. With this influx of fresh Galaspar blood into the Legion, Hades had reason to believe the forces would become more unified, avoiding the past tensions between the Barbarus-born and Terra-born factions. The leadership-level drama had already passed; after a few joint battles, the frontline soldiers would naturally grow closer.
Compared to the Terran and Barbarus recruits, the Galaspar-born were clearly more modest—or perhaps just more emotionally intelligent. Having passed a two-round selection process, they helped balance out the often-stifling atmosphere in the Death Guard. Even if they weren't talkative, they at least spoke up when it mattered in social settings.
Meanwhile, the mortal auxiliary troops's training was nearing completion. These mortal troops were now capable of operating support tanks like the Cerberus Heavy Tank on the main battlefield. Squads equipped with rocket launchers ensured they could deliver substantial firepower on the flanks.
Incidentally, because the most frequently used vehicle among the auxiliary was the Cerberus Heavy Tank—and because Hades had left a strong impression while training them—the mortal auxiliaries began calling themselves "Hound of Hades." The name caught on so widely that the Death Guard simply officially renamed the auxiliary force as the Hound of Hades Hunting Unit.
On the administrative side, those who passed the second selection round were immediately assigned to posts. Fuller, on the other hand, planned to take Wood and a group of elite administrators to Barbarus for some real-world experience. The garden planet project on Barbarus was nearing completion, providing the perfect training ground for them.
A stable warp route between Barbarus and Galaspar had also been established, easing the flow of supplies and personnel.
After this Galaspar phase of recovery and development, the Death Guard had replenished their ranks with large numbers of new troops and supplies. The auxiliary army had expanded to a scale previously thought impossible. Rearline infrastructure was advancing steadily, and both Galaspar and Barbarus were now capable of providing the Legion with substantial quantities of daily resources. The assembly lines on Graia were roaring once again.
Of course, supplies from the Imperium were still something worth exploiting. Perhaps impressed by the victory at Drune, the Imperium had recently delivered a fresh fleet to the Death Guard. And, in what might've been a rare stroke of conscience, Malcador had finally sent a batch of Untouchables to Hades—along with a few actual officials to help govern Barbarus properly.
Naturally, in Hades' view, all of this had been "fairly traded" through the Black Tower. Before he brought that up, Malcador hadn't so much as offered a kind word.
Thanks to this new shipment from Malcador, Hades held off on his usual internal curses toward the psyker.
But, unfortunately… Hades had forgotten one old saying:
"Before every great war, comes a resupply."