Hell’s Last certainly made an impression at the LVO Preview show – a full Astra Militarum command squad featuring Minka Lesk, the star of several Black Library novels and her closest confidants. Lesk is a hard-boiled commander with loads of experience who has graced multiple covers, but you may not be as familiar with her compatriots, so we’ve prepared a quick primer on who they are and why they’re worth adding to your collection.
Captain Minka Lesk
There is little doubt that Captain Arminka Lesk is the beating heart of Seventh Company, and her meteoric rise from obscurity in the infamous Whiteshields to company command is testimony to her many pivotal victories. You can chart her story from the very beginning with The Last Whiteshield by Justin D Hill.
Chief Commissar Shand
The grim-faced commissar known only to his troops as Commissar Shand has little patience for tomfoolery, preferring to instil harsh discipline from the get-go. He’s been with the Cadian 101st Regiment since before their planet broke in two, and plays a solid and dependable role in the novel Cadian Honor and beyond.
Confessor Talbeas
Salvation can come from unlikely places, and when the banner of the Cadian 101st began to fall to the dirt, it was Confessor Talbeas who took up the colours. Her fiery sermons galvanise the soldiers under her command, and the preacher has now seen quite a number of battles with the company banner fluttering overhead.
Veteran Trooper Jaromir
Despite suffering a devastating injury that should have seen him retired from active duty, Jaromir fights on. Originally a trooper in Cadian Honour, Veteran Trooper Jaromir has followed Minka up through the ranks and serves her with a completely unwavering sense of loyalty – hoping that one day he will finally find his blessed oblivion on the battlefield.
Veteran Sergeant Grawnya
Formerly of the Drookian Fen Guard, Grawnya was transplanted into the 101st to serve as a pathfinder. The 101st have fought alongside multiple regiments of Fen Guard in the past, and have butted heads on more than one occasion. It is hoped that Grawnya will be the unifyingbridge that allows these two very different forces to fight together in the Emperor’s name, without division.
All five of these characters are available to pre-order on Saturday in the Hell’s Last box – Legends rules for the unit will let you take them to the tabletop to fight for Cadia. They also all appear in the new novel Hell’s Last by Justin D Hill which will be available to pre-order in various editions, including a special edition with a bonus short story.
