Tychus Findlay speculations

[Kimera757]

As we all know, Tychus Findlay will be an important character in Wings of Liberty. He's confirmed to be in the game and in the novel Heaven's Devils.

He might be in Ghost Academy and the StarCraft comic as well.

In the first cinematic trailer for StarCraft II, we saw Findlay being put into a marine suit (basically sealed into it), which is different from descriptions of putting on suits in the various novels and short stories. It looks like Findlay is stuck in the thing. At the time, he'd been charged with a long list of crimes:



In the Wings of Liberty campaign videos we saw Findlay and Raynor chatting. Raynor disdains Findlay (which would make sense, as Findlay's a crook) and clearly didn't believe Findlay's story of how he got out of jail. (In fact, Findlay's tale is so egotistical and false that none of us would believe it either.)

So, when did he find time to commit all these crimes, and was he, in fact, frozen for all this time?

At the end of the Guild Wars, he and Raynor served in the same unit, and both went missing. Findlay was jailed for deserting the Confederacy, and apparently this was when he was sentenced to being put on ice. Findlay was only 20 at the time (vs Raynor's 18). Did he have enough time to commit a long series of crimes by that age?

Perhaps he wasn't sentenced that badly for desertion, however, and committed crimes later.

We've been told that Findlay will appear in the Ghost Academy series (which takes place between the two games) and there's a possibility he will appear in the comic, too.



That's a picture of issue 4's cover. We're told that an important character will make a cameo that issue, and will become a recurring character in the comic after issue 7 as a War Pig.

The War Pigs are a group of criminals who have not been neurally resocialized, but are still being used as something like a mercenary/slave troop by Tamsen Cauley ... in order to assassinate Jim Raynor. Cauley is a Dominion official, but doesn't seem at all loyal to the Dominion besides kissing Mengsk's butt on occasion.

In issue 4, the War Pigs will be dealing with Dominion ghosts (recall Findlay in Ghost Academy), and will somehow survive (though not necessarily all of them.) Does that look like Findlay to you? And if Findlay does appear as a War Pig, it would make sense, since he's also a crook, but it would just create further questions about his loyalties.

Other important comic notes:

In issue 1, when Cauley is planning on having the War Pigs kill Jim Raynor, for some reason he's also looking at Findlay's profile.

In issue 2, the War Pigs find an alien artifact. I don't know if that has any connection to the artifcts in Wings of Liberty, since it was found right at the end of the issue.

[Triceron]

Ugh, more alien artifacts. Let just hope Blizzard doesn't pull a Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...

[Warsaw]

I dont like where any of this is going in terms of alien artifacts. Just seems so.. idk.. stupid? Ya stupid. They could of done something more clever. As for tychus IDK whats up with him but I doubt hes as bad ass as a chracter as will be led on.

[Pandonetho]

Tychus said he escaped during his transfer to Folsom Prison right? Hm, I suspect that if it's true that that's when he escaped, then it makes sense that he probably would have been resoc'd upon arriving at New Folsom Prison.

[Visions of Khas]

I'm of the opinion that Findlay is a double agent. During Raynor's story arc, Findlay operates as his contact to the Moebius Foundation, a group I'm guessing is affiliated with/run by Valerie Mengsk. Valerie can read and use people quite well - all traits patently Arcturus - and wants to buddy up with Raynor, if only to use him to get to these Relics.

I'm also guessing Findlay will be tasked with sabotaging Raynor's operation one way or another, setting the stage for Valerie to help him out and, in doing so, be owed a favor. Findlay, of course, will want to backstab them all eventually, grab the money, and leave for the depths of space.

... An eventuality I have no doubt Valerie will have anticipated.



As for the War Pigs? Maybe their only use was to find Raynor for Findlay. Or maybe Valerie used their group before moving on to the more reliable and resourceful Raynor.

God, I should work for Blizzard's story team. :P

[LordArreat15]

Makes you wonder about his past. There also no way he went on the run unnoticed during his escape from New Folsom Prison while sealed in the marine suit. Wouldn't he been resoc before put into his suit, with Val maybe (Who found his profile and connection with Raynor.) ordering that false memories of a escape be planted etc.

Didn't Findlay went off for some planet somehow with a alien artifacts at blizzcon, including at the same time that doctor lady sent some message? There also that Tosh fellow to, how he join the Raiders?

[mr. peasant]

I'm of the opinion that Findlay is a double agent. During Raynor's story arc, Findlay operates as his contact to the Moebius Foundation, a group I'm guessing is affiliated with/run by Valerie Mengsk. Valerie can read and use people quite well - all traits patently Arcturus - and wants to buddy up with Raynor, if only to use him to get to these Relics.

While not impossible, it's unlikely. As has been confirmed, the Moebius Foundation is a well known scientific organization. If Valerian Mengsk is the one bankrolling it, it would be common knowledge.

[Kimera757]

Mobius changed recently, when Arcturus Mengsk started controlling the trade in alien artifacts. Valerian, who frequently operates behind the scenes, could have started bankrolling them in competition with his father.

(Valerian secretly tried to acquire Jake Ramsey behind his father's back... although the secret didn't keep. Never trust your untrustworthy servant; do the work yourself!)

I doubt Valerian has any role in the comic or Ghost Academy, however. Even if Findlay is a double agent, one wonders, is he working for Valerian, or Tamsen Cauley?

As for Findlay not being resocialized, it would make sense, if he were a War Pig. Like the Reaper Corps, it's a way to punish someone without brainpanning, and the Dominion is using resocialization less than the Confederacy did. I don't think being taken to New Folsom Prison is a pre-requisite for being brain-panned, anyway. Cole Hickson spent time there too, and he has not been resocialized.

[Ulkesh]

I always had the feeling that the Terran Campaign will involve some sort of "Find the Traitor" storyline. Everybody suspects Findlay, but in the end it's Raynor's most trusted second in command...

[Sheliek]

I always had the feeling that the Terran Campaign will involve some sort of "Find the Traitor" storyline. Everybody suspects Findlay, but in the end it's Raynor's most trusted second in command...

I doubt it's Horner, he's been with Raynor since Rebel Yell, and has, according to Queen of Blades, always been loyal to the Raiders.

I'm now wondering about Gabriel Tosh or Ariel Hansen though. Given we know little about either character, however, it's mere speculation.

However, Tosh seems like he is 'high up', so to speak, with the Ghosts, not in terms of rank, but he knows a lot; this could just be because he is a Ghost. Still, if he knows things that only someone still working with the Ghosts could know, I'm going to be suspicious.

But why does Tosh work with Raynor? There must be some motivation, such as displeasure with the Dominion; if I recall, Arcturus Mengsk had almost half of the Ghosts executed shortly before StarCraft II, which could easily have been the point at which he decides to leave the Dominion.

But this brings up another point: wouldn't the Dominion have some way of controlling or at least tracking ghosts, in just such a case? Mengsk, learning from his mistakes in simply abandoning Kerrigan, would likely have some hard to remove tracking device imbedded somewhere in the Ghost's body, just to make sure that he knows where they all are.

As for Ariel Hansen, we know nothing about her except that she is a scientist from the world Agria (which is apparently a farming colony, making me wonder why she'd be there [an agricultural scientist would, admitedly, be a somewhat boring character, so she's most likely a different kind of scientist]), and that she is rescued by the Raiders.

Perhaps she is actually a spy working either for Arcturus or Valerian Mengsk (in my opinion most likely Valerian), as a part of the Moebius Foundation, which brings me to this:

While not impossible, it's unlikely. As has been confirmed, the Moebius Foundation is a well known scientific organization. If Valerian Mengsk is the one bankrolling it, it would be common knowledge.

While public donations could be, logically, made public, a private investor could easily hide his or her tracks. I believe the Dominion uses electronic currency, which is almost impossible to keep track of, so Valerian could easily have told the Foundation to keep his investments a secret, or even used a pseudonym (Mr. V, I believe he uses for this purpose, as mentioned in the Dark Templar Saga).

Besides, both Valerian and the Moebius Foundation are greatly interested in the Xel'Naga artifacts, it stands to reason that working together would be a good idea.