There are countless superhuman heroes and horrors in the 41st Millennium, but part of what keeps the setting of Warhammer 40,000 so endlessly entertaining are the regular mortals who mingle with these mythical figures and wrestle with the same monumental challenges.
One character that burns bright among the teeming human masses of the Imperium is Minka Lesk.
A former Cadian Whiteshield* – full name Arminka Lesk – our plucky heroine was assigned to her regiment at a young age. When the 13th Black Crusade arrived, ‘Minka’ was ordered to defend her hometown of Myrak from a Chaos assault that swiftly became a heretical deluge.
Her life has been a series of terrible trials – desperately battling the Archenemy, watching as countless comrades died, and witnessing Cadia itself crack after Abaddon dropped a Blackstone Fortress on it. Through grim determination and a touch of divine luck, Sergeant Lesk lives to fight another day.
She’s the creation of Justin D Hill, and first appeared in the short story Battle for Hive Markgraaf, before going on to star in the Cadian book series. Check out her trials in Cadia Stands, Cadian Honour, and Traitor Rock, followed by the 2021 Advent eShort The Place of Pain and Healing.
The model has options for a lasgun to join your Cadian Shock Troops, or a bolt pistol and a power sword if you’d rather field her as part of a Cadian Command Squad. She has two heads, too – including her trademark bandana from the cover of Cadian Honour.This isn’t the only Minka reveal today – the Cadian 101st are back in action in a brand-new novel, Shadow of the Eighth. This time they’re after a relic of the missing Cadian 8th, thought lost in the destruction of their home planet. The hunt has led them to the frozen world of Telken’s Rest, which is part of the slowly crumbling empire of the Chaos warlord Darkul-zar.
If you want to catch up with all of Minka Lesk’s previous exploits, you can also look forward to Minka Lesk: The Last Whiteshield. This omnibus collects all five previous Minka Lesk stories in one place, serving as the perfect introduction before the new novel emerges.
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* These are the unblooded cadets and reinforcements of the Astra Militarum – you can find caps bearing the wingless skull of the Whiteshields in the Cadian Upgrades set.