The Last Chancers
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"You are all here because you are scum, but you're the God-Emperor's scum. You have skills that are useful to Him and whether you wish it or no, they will be made use of."
— Colonel Schaeffer, commander of the 13th Penal Legion
Amongst the Imperial Guard, Unique regiments consisting of convicted criminals of all stripes and shades who have avoided execution or a grim future in the form of a servitor, only to be pressed into penal legions alongside thousands of others for a chance to absolve themselves of their crimes though suicidal acts beyond those of normal guardsmen. Either though serving their sentence or being cleared of charges posthumously. A penal legion almost guarantees the innocence of an individual if they refrain from fleeing, but a messy, gribbly end awaits those who flee from battle or try to escape confines during transit, normally administered by an explosive collar or a bolt pistol.
Yet again, amongst the many thousands of penal legions reside the thirteenth penal legion, while not being the thirteenth legion to be formed, they are however legendary amongst the guard for being a virtual death sentence, even other penal legions see those residing in the thirteenth as lost causes. This dread reputation a direct result of Colonel Schaeffer being the most heinous and downright evil imperial guard officer to ever exist. There is a high chance men under his command will die before reaching the frontlines, normally a direct result of forced marching along the quickest path en route to the frontline, normally footslogging though "hazardous" environments, luckily death = an easy pardon, so it's not all bad.
The Last Chancer series follows legionary Lieutenant Kage as he shoots, stabs, strangles and shouts his way through a brutal sentence serving under Colonel Schaeffer in the Last Chancers as he leads the thirteenth penal legion on suicidal missions across the galaxy. Consisting of three major novels, 13th Legion-Kill Team - Annihilation Squad and a scattering of short stories, Deliverance - Liberty.
Probably one of the more interesting Imperial Guard legions in that they actively question authority and say a lot of heretical things without worrying about Commissars or Commanding Officers executing them every five seconds (inasmuch as they're basically dead men walking anyway). They are the Last Chancers and they are lucky to be alive.
History
The Last Chancers were created for a special assignment 2.5 years in the making. The Inquisition needed to clean up a big mess they made in a highly populated Imperial city. Instead of blasting the planet to kingdom come with any Planet crackers they had, they thought they could use an elite special forces team to break in side the heavily defended city. Instead they got a bunch of cut throats and killers that would gladly kill their own mothers for a pardon for their crimes. Turns out that when you want to kill several billion people, these are the ideal candidates. Of particular note amongst the rabble, Kage was incarcerated upon a gulag(the 40k equivalent of one anyway) for stabbing a superior officer during a dispute over a woman during garrison duty on a backwater(the name of which nobody remembers). Being a opportunistic git, Kage took a opportunity to break free though hijacking a shuttle during supply drop off. Surprisingly, he made it as far as the gangplank, then he ran into Colonel Schaeffer, leading to three bloody years in the last chancers.
Members
- Colonel Schaeffer: The regiment's commanding officer considers himself merciful for granting a "Last Chance" for his men to redeem themselves. It says a lot that most of the people he extends this offer to usually decide that they would prefer summary execution. An excellent judge of character, he has a knack for picking out only the most skilled and talented scum from across the Imperial Guard's prisons.