StarCraft: Soldiers is a four issue StarCraft comic series from Dark Horse Comics. Its first issue was released January 23rd, 2019[1] and final issue April 24th, 2019.[2] The events take place 2-3 years after the defeat of Amon; long enough for a "a new generation of recruits to be raised in the ideals of Valerian Mengsk and fully believe them."[3]
A paperback volume was released in August 2019.[4]
Description[]
Lieutenant Shivani Singh is eager to defend the Dominion on the front lines. But after she's posted on the faraway planet of Cavir, she realizes that it will take more than good grades and confidence to survive on the edge of zerg space.[1]
Synopsis[]
Years after the End War, Second Lieutenant Shivani Singh graduated from officer training in Augustgrad at the top of her class, Korhal. She is congratulated by her former professor Colonel Perkins, and meets her old friend Ravi Dhawan, who in spite of his seedy background wished her luck and gave her his contact information. When Perkins talked to Singh in his office, she refused any office posting, rather wanting to be on the frontlines where she could do good. In spite of its difficulty, Basch sent her to the world of Cavir along the demilitarized zone, a planet filled with zerg.
Singh was assigned to Camp Pitcairn, where the base's commanding officer, Colonel Basch, told her that her that her academy grades did not matter, only her results on Cavir. She obtained her immunizations, and went on patrol with her squad, containing Sergent René Tiller, Corporal Park, Private Ikande, and Private Sofia Nantes. They encountered two feral hydralisks, and an illegal miner named John Rosenberg. While the squad was hesitant to arrest the miner, as they knew him before and seemed to have an agreement with the local illegal miners, Singh ordered her squad to arrest him. However as they did so a lurker attacked, biting off Nantes's leg. Tiller ordered the squad to open fire on the zerg, as hydralisks were now bearing down on them.[5] The marines were able to overcome the zerg, but not before the lurker shot a spike into Nantes, finishing her off. The squad seemed to blame Singh, but she ordered they still arrest Rosenberg.
Back at camp, Singh was checked up by Doctor Kazan, who showed her the colonists he was taken care of. When she stated they needed to be evicted, they reacted with anger. She then met with Colonel Basch, who called her operation a disaster, and told her that the miners were find and helped supply the base. Undeterred in her mission to remove the miners, Singh contacted Colonel Perkins, who gave her orders to remove the civilians. Basch was infuriated, and put her in charge of the operation. Singh attempted to evict the mining camp of Randolph Kelso, but the miners reacted by throwing junk at the marines, and Singh left.
Over the next few days, Singh continued scouting the zerg, noticing they acted with some intelligence. She tried to get resources from Perkins, who refused. On the way to her patrol, Tiller and Singh tried to board their APC, but it exploded.[6] An investigation was launched, forcing the camp into lockdown. Soon though, Singh and Tiller recovered from their injuries, and were cleared for active duty. Singh apologized to her squad for not trusting them, and though they were skeptical of her sincerity and their intentions, the squad began to operate more efficiently. However, Singh was worried of Basch's investigation of the bombing, and contacted Ravi Dhawan and his mercenaries to aid her in bringing order to Cavir. He said that she could not afford the cost, but that he would owe her a favor.
While investigating missing miners, Singh and her squad encountered a cave of zerglings, but they didn't engage the marines and sped past her. Singh then reported her findings, that zerg attacks increased when the miners came to the planet, and that she suspected that there was a nearby hive. Ikande reported this to Basch, and he admitted she was working better with the squad. He asked Park to come in, and he got the private to admit he was behind the bombings as revenge for Nantes's death. Basch locked him in the brig.
Meanwhile, Singh discovered a wave of zerglings descending on the terran settlements. She tried to warn a group of miners, but they ignored her, and were overrun by the zerg. She tried to contact Kelso and his settlement, and but he suspected that she was lying. Even so, his miners were evacuated to Camp Pitcairn. Basch rallied a defense, but was killed by a volley of zerg spikes. The defenders threw off the first wave of zerg, and Dhawan and his Tiger's Claw mercenaries arrived at the base. Tensions rose as Singh, now in command of the base, told Dhawan he and his miners would be forced off, and the miners prepared for a fight. However, this was broken up when Tiller revealed a larger zerg wave was descending on their base.[7]
Singh prepared for battle, and Dhawan forced her to agree to turn a blind eye to his operations if he helped her. The defenders hit at the incoming zerg attack wave with their ordnance, trying to hold them back. While the mercenaries evacuated the miners, some like Kelso refused to leave, and wanted to stay and fight. Dhawan attempted to leave with the miners, when Singh put a gun to his head and dictated new terms: he would stay and fight the zerg, and he would get unrestrained access to Camp Pitcarin and its resources. Meanwhile, a ultralisk busted through the wall of the camp, allowing zerg to rush in. Ikande was killed under a tide of zerglings.
While the perimeter was crumbling, Singh viewed the zerg positions, and noted they were using tactics. Tiller told her that if they were using tactics, a queen had to be leading them. Singh ordered all forces to try and strike the queen. However, zerg soon broke through from underground at their medical tents, and the defenders were surrounded. Tiller was killed by a zergling, and Singh demanded there be fire on their queen. Bengals launched a volley of missiles at it, destroying her and shattering the zerg. The zerg fell back, leaving Dominion victorious but the camp devastated.
Singh, now a captain, took over the camp, and agreed to house Kelso and his miners in their camp while he rebuilt his settlement, in return for neosteel to rebuild their camp. She then confronted Park, stating that she would not punish him for trying to kill her, but he would serve as his contact with the Tiger's Claw as they operated out of Pitcairn; and her scapegoat should the Dominion find out. She then contacted Colonel Basch, and told her the situation was taken care of, and that they did not violate Emperor Valerian's treaty. She also said the miners were taken care of, though that he would not want to know the details.
Eight years later, Singh was a colonel still running Camp Pitcairn. She was greeted by a new, bright eyed lieutenant Toussaint, who came to the camp to uphold Valerian's treaty. She found herself mimicking Colonel Basch, telling her of the hostility of Cavir, and to walk with her to find what the camp was really about.[2]
Characters[]
- Terran Dominion
- Miners and Colonists
- Tiger's Claw
- Mentioned
Issues[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 2018-09-25, New 'StarCraft' Comic Revealed, First Look at 'Soldiers' . Comicbook.com, accessed on 2018-09-25
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Robinson, Andrew (w), Sepulveda, Miguel (p, i). "StarCraft: Soldiers: Issue 4" StarCraft: Soldiers 4 (7) (April 24th, 2019) Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ 2019-11-07, Followup on the 14 page BlizzCon lore packet: The (very few) questions that got answered. Reddit, accessed on 2019-11-20
- ↑ StarCraft: Soldiers (Starcraft Volume 2). Amazon, accessed on 2018-11-28
- ↑ Houser, Jody and Robinson, Andrew (w), Sepulveda, Miguel (p, i). "StarCraft: Soldiers: Issue 1" StarCraft: Soldiers 1 (7) (January 23, 2019) Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ Houser, Jody and Robinson, Andrew (w), Sepulveda, Miguel (p, i). "StarCraft: Soldiers: Issue 2" StarCraft: Soldiers 2 (7) (February 20, 2019) Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ Houser, Jody and Robinson, Andrew (w), Sepulveda, Miguel (p, i). "StarCraft: Soldiers: Issue 3" StarCraft: Soldiers 3 (7) (March 20, 2019) Dark Horse Comics.