StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade
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StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade is a science fiction novel written by Jeff Grubb and published by Pocket Books taking place in the StarCraft universe.
The story occurs during the Terran campaign or StarCraft Episode I of the original StarCraft, and is narrated by an investigative journalist, Michael Daniel Liberty (called "Mike" by his friends and sometimes "Mickey" by his boss, Handy Anderson), who is assigned to the Norad II - command ship of General Edmund Duke - after grievously offending one of the ruling "Old Families" of the Terran Confederacy.
There, he witnesses the destruction of the Zerg-infested Terran world of Chau Sara by the Protoss fleet commanded by Tassadar. The Norad II then travels to the sister world of Mar Sara, where he first meets Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan, Marshal Jim Raynor, and rebel leader Arcturus Mengsk of the Sons of Korhal. Still wanted by the Confederacy, Liberty defects with Raynor to the Sons of Korhal and begins working for Mengsk as a Korhal propagandist.
He soon realises that Mengsk is as corrupt, as fanatical and as brutal as the Confederacy he is fighting - he even allows General Duke to join him, but Liberty doesn't give up on him until he abandons Kerrigan to the Zerg on Tarsonis. Raynor, who was beginning to hold Kerrigan in high regard, picks a fight with Duke, then abandons Mengsk. Liberty accompanies him.
The book ends with Liberty's last transmission, his manifesto, being rewound by Kerrigan, now the Zerg Queen of Blades. The manifesto had begun to stir something human within her, but she remains fully Zerg, and begins reexamining the manifesto for tactical information she can use to her species' advantage.
[edit] Contradictions
StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade is not treated as canon[citations needed] for the most part, as many parts of the story contradict the game. These include:
- Edmund Duke being a Colonel at the beginning of the story and then being promoted just prior to the Norad II's crash. In the game, he claims to have held the rank for 15 years.
- The novel also claims Duke was a member of the Confederacy's aristocratic "Old Families", and was implied that, if not for political strife, Duke would have had a higher rank and command.
- While Raynor claims that "Arcturus' boys" had sprung him and his men from imprisonment in the game, the novel depicts the event as Liberty sneaking onto the prison ship that's holding them and convincing the crew (who had essentially been left to die as the Protoss had recently arrived to sterilize the planet) at gun point to abandon their posts and leave the system.
- In the novel, Duke set the Norad II to self-destruct after agreeing to Mengsk's offer to join the Sons of Korhal. From then on, Duke served aboard the Hyperion with the rest of the cast. In the game, the Sons of Korhal had salvaged and refurbished the Norad II, which Duke used as his flagship on the attack on Tarsonis' defense platforms.
- There is no mention of the player's character, with Michael Liberty taking on some of the role and events being altered accordingly. However, Mengsk does inform Liberty of his negotiations with Mar Sara's leader prior to their coming into contact.
- Not really a contradiction as the game does not offer insight, but according to the novel, Raynor was previously married to a woman named Liddy, whom he had a son with. The son, coincidentally, had psionic potential and was inducted into the Confederacy's Ghost Academy, where he died during an "accident" (it is hinted that he had actually been killed during the final testing). This eventually led up to Liddy dying from depression, and intially caused James to dislike Kerrigan due to her being a telepath.
[edit] References
- Grubb, Jeff (2001-02-27). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-04148-7.
| StarCraft by Blizzard Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| StarCraft Universe | Gameplay of StarCraft • StarCraft storyline • Psionic technology |
| Factions and Organizations | Judicator Caste • Kel-Morian Combine • Khalai Caste • Protoss • Protoss Conclave • Pirate Militias • Raynor's Raiders • Sons of Korhal • Templar Caste • Terran • Terran Confederacy • Umojan Protectorate • United Earth Directorate • Xel'Naga • Zerg • Zerg Brood |
| Locations | Aiur • Antiga Prime • Braxis • Char • Chau Sara • Korhal • Mar Sara • Moria • Shakuras • Talematros • Tarsonis • Umoja • Zerus |
| Characters | Aldaris • Artanis • Gerard DuGalle • Edmund Duke • Samir Duran • Fenix • Sarah Kerrigan • Arcturus Mengsk • Nova • Raszagal • Jim Raynor • Alexei Stukov • Tassadar • Zeratul • Zerg Overmind • Minor Characters |
