Punishment

Colonel Sven studied the shabby and broken replacements ranked before him on the muddy floor of the wooden shack. A mixed lot he thought. Male, female, child, abhuman, broken officials, and officers, scum from the ranks. As a matter of fact and of the record here, and also in the ministorium they were all equal in their degredation. All were Emperor cursing scum who had been dealt with far too leniently by legal tribunals as far as Colonel Sven was concerned. About the only sort he had not seen pass through this regiment were space marines. It would be pleasant, he thought, to get his hands as it were, on one of those goody too shoes superheroes just to see if they were as tough as they claimed without their power armour. It did not seem likely. The other sort he got only occassionally were true heretics. These were usually winnowed out by the Inquisition long before they got to a penal legion. Sometimes they got here but he and his officers knew how to deal with them. With a shrug he turned his attention back to this lot of criminals to be inducted into the 666th Penal Legion, known to its officers and especially to the scum who served in it as Hell's Own.

"This is the end of the line for all of you." The colonel snarled. "You have been given this final chance to redeem yourselves in the name of the Emperor. Some, a few, of you will take this opportunity and die in pain and contrition fighting heroically for the Emperor's blessing."

He paused to see if his words were having any effect with this lot. No matter he thought.

"Most of you will just die uselessly, blown to bits in an obscure skirmish on a useless and unknown planet, if you are lucky. The unlucky bastards amongst you will survive and make a home here in Hell's Own the 666th Penal legion."

"You have not been mind wiped despite your crimes just in case some of you have useful skills. Any infraction of discipline will be punished by use of the blessers."

"Sergeant demonstrate the blesser."