If this was true, then this pilgrim ship was basically a moving ammunition depot!
There was no helping it. During the previous insane expansion, the New Imperium's arms industry had manufactured far too many weapons, and the replacement cycles never stopped.
Older models were much better than what the Imperium used to have, but they still lagged behind the newest generation.
To digest those old stockpiles, the arms industry and logistics departments had worked themselves to the bone before the Savior finally agreed to push through new safety standards.
They classified warehouse weapons as part of fire safety, distributing them across Imperial ships and related public spaces.
That way, Imperial citizens could use them at any time to fight xenos, heretics, and evil, and protect themselves.
Of course, it was only temporary.
In the future, once the Imperium's situation eased and the risk of invasion was gone, the weapons would be collected back.
"It seems the Imperium has shaken off its old shortages. It has enough weapons now, and it values safety and defense more…"
As the Vigilant, the Lord of the Phalanx, Dorn cared most about security and fortification. He was pleased by these measures.
He hefted a heavy las weapon and took a combat knife as well.
In his hands, the heavy weapon looked like a sidearm. Still, it was usable.
Boom, boom, boom.
Outside, the roar of gunfire had already started, and the ship itself could be felt firing its weapons.
After arming himself, Dorn followed the short veteran out.
If the situation held, he didn't want to reveal his true state yet. Once exposed, it would be hard to conceal.
"By the Emperor's grace!"
After that, influenced by Dorn and the veteran, two more abhumans who knew how to handle firearms grabbed weapons and joined them.
They moved down the corridor toward the combat zone and found more pilgrims bursting out, weapons slung over shoulders.
Morale ran high. Some even greeted each other as they ran. The fear of invasion aboard the ship was evaporating.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"If you're late you won't make it!"
"Damn it, I have to kill a few heretics. This pilgrimage vacation is worth it!"
Those armed pilgrims looked well trained, advancing in an orderly way toward the firefight.
A mild-looking clerk wearing an electronic monocle adjusted his weapon with practiced ease, speaking excitedly:
"I'm the champion of my department's firearms tactics training. Years of hard practice, finally a chance to use it. Let's see who dares say I'm all talk now…"
Facing a Chaos intrusion, these people showed no fear at all. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were the ones invading someone else.
Dorn watched the bustling scene, unable to understand it. These Imperial civilians were nothing like the ones in his memory.
In the past, when disaster struck, Imperial civilians panicked in terror like helpless lambs.
They could only pray for the Emperor's protection and wait to be slaughtered.
But these people looked like they were rushing out to protect the Emperor himself.
This was the New Imperium's education strategy at work.
When citizens were in school, they had dedicated courses that taught them who the Imperium's enemies were and what characteristics they had.
They were also taught what the Imperium fought for.
Each year, schools organized basic military training.
The sports department would occasionally apply for funding and haul back real frontline equipment so students could see it for themselves and try it safely.
As for higher-level institutions like Loyalist Academies, the training was even harsher, with live-combat requirements and assigned "acceptable casualty quotas."
Even after graduates entered their respective workplaces, they still had corresponding training programs, regularly going out for field exercises.
At first, it was just a way to deal with munitions nearing their expiration dates.
Logistics had to clear warehouse space, and they were desperate.
But later, inertia took over. Nobody proposed canceling it, and it gradually became tradition.
Year after year, it kept being scheduled.
Under that kind of long-term training, ordinary citizens basically knew what the Imperium's enemies looked like, what traits they had, and how great the threat was.
Naturally, they weren't as terrified and frantic.
They had also trained through countless simulated combat scenarios, so they understood what situation they were in and how to follow commands.
Like right now, citizens understood that if a ship was boarded mid-route, there was basically nowhere to run. They could not sit and wait to die.
Everyone had to unite, or their odds of surviving would plummet.
"I'm an Honorary Veteran. From here on, I'll take temporary command.
The engine sector is secure. We're going to the main deck. Shield troops up front, and listen for my unified orders…"
The short veteran loudly announced his status and quickly organized the armed pilgrims in the area.