
Artist's commentary
Wasteland Conscripts
Some Fan Art I made for Half-Life. Inspiration comes from the Half-Life 2 Beta
I was trying my best to replicate the 2000s Era Uniforms and Equipment for the soldiers seen. Since I like to believe that the Combine Empire invaded Earth sometime between 2002-2004, I'd say what I drew was fitting. Hope you enjoy this one!
LORE: When the Combine Empire invaded Earth, all of the planet's military forces were overwhelmed by the Combine's military might. Within 7 hours, all of Earth surrendered. All of what remained of the Earth's Military were either converted into Transhuman Soldiers and became one with the Combine's Transhuman Arm of Earth or were lucky enought to be spared as their own entity, as the Conscripts.
The Conscripts, led by Captain Vance, are a low ranking branch of the Combine Transhuman Arm, rely only on equipment that was made on Earth in the Early 2000s. Due to their low ranking status in the Transhuman Arm, they're not given as much rations and payment as the rest of the Combine's Military on Earth. They're often tasked with guarding valuable assets for the Combine, conducting raids on Human Resistance outposts and crushing riots and rebellions in various locations across the Planet
While the Conscripts were officially working with the Combine Empire, they've been secretely organzing with the Human Resistance and planning their attacks to rebel against the Combine's occupation. Several Conscript units work as security for Kraken Base, a scientific research facility for the Resistance, located in the Arctic Sea and have secretly been escorting humans and alien allies to reside in safer, more isolated locations.
It has been 20 years since the Combine invaded Earth. The Wastelands, once a big, vast ocean is nothing than a dried desert infested with Antlions. The Conscripts, are tasked with protecting the Depot, a storage facility for political prisoners and a nexus for Combine distributions of Stalkers. For 20 years, the Conscripts have been protecting the Depot from raids, by both Antlions and the Human Resistance. As the Conscripts sit around and do their usual routine, word gets out of a man in an Orange Suit, referred to as the One Free Man, the Opener of the Way, wrecking havoc and causing problems for the Combine Occupation of Earth. Not much is known of this Anti-Citizen yet, but many in the ranks of the Conscripts believe that their time to revolt against the Combine draws near