Season 7 - Episode 11 - Poena

LIU Atlas - Poena

There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas. 


                                                            LIU Atlas - Poena

The Ludgonian Industrial Union's galaxy contains billions of stars and billions of planets. Unfortunately, most residents of the LIU could only name a handful of these worlds. In order to improve astronomy grades across the LIU, TV2 has started a new program called LIU Atlas. Follow our host, Terrance McDoogal, as he takes you on a tour across the LIU and some of its more obscure worlds.

Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.

This episode contains some graphic material. Viewer discretion is advised.

Doog: “Welcome to another episode of LIU Atlas. I’m your host, Terrance “Doog” McDoogal. Today, we’re visiting the nefarious prison world of Poena. Although I have never been here, I’m well aware of its existence. Rumors of the horrors committed here are well known across the galaxy. There’s no doubt the LIU is behind said rumors, call it a deterrent of sorts. Only a special breed of prisoners are sent here; those who commit crimes against society. These criminals have no financial, political, or personal motives. The prisoners here vary from serial killers to child molesters to animal abusers. The planet appears to be defended by two LIU capital ships. Once we secure permission to land, we’ll make our descent.”

Doog: “As we descend, there only appears to be one structure on the planet’s surface. This cement cube must be the prison. That’s where we’re headed.”

Doog: “You must be the warden?”
Warden: “Yeah. And you must be the brave soul here to tour Poena. I’m Warden Jones. Welcome to Poena.”
Doog: “Thanks. So, what’s up with the suits. The atmosphere in the prison appears to be breathable.”
Warden: “Oh, this isn’t the prison. This is just the receiving structure where we accept inmates. The planet itself is the prison.”
Doog: “The whole planet?”
Warden: “Yes. That’s why there are two ships in orbit, to make sure no one tries to land and rescue a prisoner.”
Doog: “That’s pretty brutal. Send inmates out into an atmosphere they can’t breathe. I mean, I guess they deserve it, considering their crimes.”
Warden: “No, the atmosphere is breathable, but it contains certain chemicals you wouldn’t want to breathe. Chief among these is Dimethylhexane, which we call Hex. Hex is a natural nerve agent. When inhaled, it is taken into the bloodstream where it causes a dull pain.”
Doog: “So the prisoners feel a dull pain all over their body the whole time they are here?”
Warden: “Yes. Speaking of which, we better suit up. We’re about to release a prisoner.”

Doog: “Wow, that’s pretty harsh, spending the remainder of your sentence suffering pain.”
Warden: “Well, given the pain they caused society, I guess they earned it. Go ahead and step to the side. Here comes a prisoner.”

Prisoner: “PLEASE…I’M SORRY! I didn’t know that was the Finance Governor’s fourth cousin! She said she was eighteen! I swear!”
Warden: “Silence. Prisoner LDG 7215951-84315, your unforgivable crime has caused you to be sentenced to Poena Sine Finis. May the Emperor have mercy on your soul. Open the gate.”

Guard: “First gate is open. Advancing prisoner. Prepare to… ”
Prisoner: “OW! Something’s not right. I think I’m hurt.”

Prisoner: “Wait! What is that out there?!”
Guard: “Inner door secured. Opening outer door.”

Native: “WELCOME TO SUFFERING! HAHAHA!”
Prisoner: “Oh my Emperor! What is this!”
Doog: “Seriously, what is that?”
Warden: “The native Poenans. They ensure these sick individuals suffer for their crimes.”
Doog: “Freaky. Oh, you know what, I forgot I had a doctor’s appointment today, I’ll come back later.”
Warden: “There’s no backing out now. We’ll give the prisoner and the native a little head start then we’ll let you out.”
Doog: “Fine.”

Doog: “Alright folks, I’m now on the surface of Poena. I’m now surrounded by nothing but prisoners, scary alien guys, and pain inducing gas. My microphone is picking up a constant, low moaning noise. Presumably, it’s the wind. Hard to tell with a suit on. Speaking of pain inducing gas, my nerves are getting the better of me. I sure wish I wasn’t in a rebreather suit. Not smelling great in here”

Diyu: “Ah, you must be Doog. I am Diyu, Prince of Pain, Minister of Mayhem, Sultan of Suffering. Welcome to Poena.”
Doog: “Uh hey. Look, I don’t mean any offense, but you are scary as heck.”
Diyu: “Look? Is that a slight at my lack of eyes?”
Doog: “No, never sir. I’d never slight a man with titles such as yours. I didn’t choose my words correctly. How did you know I was here though? Being eyeless and all.”
Diyu: “My race has heat sensing organs in our face that allow us to see thermally. Our most advanced sense, however, is our ability to smell. The pheromones your race produces, especially when experiencing fear and pain, are unmistakable. I smelled your fear the minute you exited the facility.”
Doog: “How is that possible? I’m in this suit.”
Diyu: “Every breath from your respirator releases a small amount of air. Most is recycled, but the little amounts released are loaded with fear.”
Doog: “Probably loaded with more than that. Shark tacos and nerves not a great combo.”
Diyu: “Indeed. But I am used to that aroma. The suffering reek of it.”

Doog: “Speaking of suffering, what’s going on back there?”
Diyu: “Ah, suffering by exposure. This prisoner left his child in the car on a hot day while he enjoyed the company of a prostitute. Fittingly, he will suffer a long, drawn out death of his own. Starvation and dehydration will be his companions now. All while feeling the agony of the Dimethylhexane.”

Doog: “Die-Meth-Hexagon. That stuff sounds brutal. It’s like having a hangover the day after ascending some stairs. Soreness and pain everywhere. Holy Emperor, what…oh man…don’t puke in the respirator. What is going on here?!?”

Diyu: “One of my favorites. Death by a thousand cuts. The condemned are slowly cut apart so that they live through much of the process. The pain priests have turned this method of suffering into an art. We always start with the eyes.
Painful on its own, but more importantly, it creates fear. The prisoner never knows where the next cut will come. Will they lose an ear or their genitals?”
Doog: “This is horrid. How can you do this…”
Diyu: “This guy should have thought twice about driving under the speed limit in the passing lane.”
Doog: “Is that all he did!”
Diyu: “I don’t know, I just made it up. I can’t keep track of what every prisoner did. Something he did was perceived by your brethren as a heinous crime against society.”

Doog: “What is that beast over there? Does it eat the remains or something?”
Diyu: “No, that’s a Pain Hound. Eyeless like ourselves, but with a much better sense of smell. Occasionally, prisoners have enough fight in them to escape the clutches of our pain priests. The Pain Hound tracks them down. There is no escaping the pain, Doog.”

Priest: “Maybe, if you’re taller, you won’t find small things so attractive. Muhaha!”
Doog: “Oh man, are we almost done? I can’t handle much more of this.”
Diyu: “Hard to watch, huh? That’s why we make other prisoners watch sometimes. Knowing the pain in their future creates so much fear. Snifffff. Smell the pain. Smell the fear. Yes...”
Doog: “Do you guys get off on this? You seem to enjoy it. Maybe your just as bad as those incarcerated here.”
Diyu: “Human fear and pain pheromones are intoxicating to my species. Every breath I take is ecstasy. But we are not like the imprisoned. I would never harm an innocent to experience this ecstasy. We simply perform a task for the LIU, and they pay us in fear and pain.”

Doog: “I guess. But there’s one thing I don’t get. I thought torture was illegal. That’s why places like Arcem exist.”
Diyu: “The line between capital punishment and torture is blurred. Torture to retrieve information is definitely not legal, but laws regarding torture as part of a death sentence are ill-defined. The LIU takes advantage of this loophole.”
Doog: “So these prisoners are sentenced to death, but their method of execution is excruciating torture?”
Diyu: “Exactly.”

Doog: “Well, I guess that wraps it up. You guys execute people in horrible ways. I don’t need to see anymore. I’m already going to have to sleep with the lights on for a few months.”
Diyu: “Ah, but we are not finished. These prisoners are sentenced ‘sine finis’, without end. They experience a very prolonged death sentence.”
Doog: “I’m sure being cut up into small pieces seems like an eternity, but I’m also pretty sure the guy I saw back there was dead. With End.”
Diyu: “That’s what the resurrection is for.”
Doog: “The what?”

Diyu: “Prisoners are resurrected with a form of Hex. Are you familiar with Mel?”
Doog: “Yeah, it’s a life saving substance that heals almost any wound.”
Diyu: “Yes, well, we were blessed with a healing balm of our own. When Dimethylhexane bonds with water in the
atmosphere, it falls as a tar-like rain. This black, viscous liquid has components that allow it to rebuild biological cells. The more damage there is, the longer it takes.”
Doog: “Why haven’t I heard of this? If this stuff can save people that damaged, I’m pretty sure I would have heard of it.”
Diyu: “There is a drawback. The properties that make Hex a nerve agent also make the healing process unimaginably painful. Every cell that regenerates burns in agony. The first patients revived with this method, killed themselves to escape the pain. The LIU realized that this is not a viable medicine. There is another property useful to us; the nerve agent also generates more nerves in the prisoners, so they feel even more pain after being resurrected.”
Doog: “They are revived to be murdered again?”
Diyu: “To be murder again while experiencing even more pain then before.”
Doog: “Gruesome.”

Diyu: “Some prisoners are resurrected hundreds of times. Their bodies know nothing but pain. They are hardly their former selves. They no longer speak, only moan in agony.”
Doog: “That’s what I’ve been hearing! I thought it was the wind. Man, I just got the chills. The moaning is constant. Almost like monks chanting in unison. Are we done yet, I want to leave.”

Diyu: “We’re getting closer. This portion of their execution is known as the ‘wandering’. They are paraded around the planet experiencing every pain and death imaginable. However, after so many resurrections, it is impossible for the
condemned to feel anymore conventional pain. Their brains begin shutting down. They are now ready for the next stage of their execution. Follow me into the depths.”

Doog: “The next stage is stairs? You guys are ruthless.”
Diyu: “What? No. We’re headed to the next portion of the execution, the suffering.”

Doog: “The shrieks and moans coming from this room are starting to freak me out. What is going on here?”
Diyu: “After being maxed out in pain, the condemned are tossed into the suffering canals.”
Doog: “The suffering canals?”

Diyu: “In order to keep the prisoners in this state for an extended period of time, they float in canals of Hex water. The hex stops them from succumbing to pain, starvation, and dehydration.”
Doog: “Where do these canals take them?”
Diyu: “They take them to the final portion of their execution, albeit at a very slow pace. This canals stretch thousands of miles under the planet. The condemned spend ages floating in this river of pain, much of it, in complete darkness. Floating in pain, unable to die, in the blackness, for ages. The suffering.”
Doog: “I want my mom.”

Doog: “Wha…wha…what is this?”
Diyu: “This is the ending. At the foot of the God-King’s throne, the condemned burn in Hexfire. As the fire licks away flesh, the Hex attempts to repair it. Ultimately, the condemned succumb to death. Their skeletons’ are pulled from the fire and chained to posts. The prisoners see these upon their arrival and instantly experience fear.”

God-King: “Diyu! Why is there a painless human at the base of my throne!”
Doog: “Don’t worry, I’m trying to leave!”
Diyu: “He’s a representative of the LIU.”
God-King: “All this filth burning beneath me are representatives of the LIU. Corrupt, evil, heartless individuals. What makes this one so special?”
Doog: “I’m not like them. I’m a good man…er…a pretty good guy….er…a somewhat, sorta, mediocre guy.”
God-King: “All that stand before me make such claims, but I…what is that smell? Ugh.”
Doog: “Tacos and extreme fear.”
God-King: “Have you soiled yourself?”
Doog: “Not yet, but I’m running out of nervous gas.”
God-King: “Ugh. The condemned are usually empty by the time they reach me. It’s been forever since I’ve smelled something so vile.”
Doog: “Try being stuck in a suit with it. You guys are only getting a whiff.”
Diyu: “I’m used to it, and even I’m gagging”
Doog: “Well, the tacos were pretty low quality and possibly expired. It‘s only going to get worse.”
God-King: “Diyu! Remove this being from my chamber!”

Doog: “Well folks, I can’t wait to get off this planet. Many once believed that the LIU invented the cruelties here to act as a deterrent for abhorrent behavior. They believed that the rumors of unending pain and suffering were allegories to the fictional, mythological realm of hell, but we can now see that these rumors are true. This place is as close to hell as one can get. If you are a citizen in the LIU committing vile acts against society, I urge you to stop. This is something that no one should experience. See ya.”

Note:
Hell is empty and all the devils are here - William Shakespeare


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