Susan Sommers, an Earth-born journalist, arrives on Venus to cover rising hostilities between the nations of Ishtar and Aphrodia. Driven by ambition, she initially prioritizes capturing sensational footage over the conflict’s human toll, her detachment shielding her from the war’s realities. This indifference fractures when she witnesses Ishtar’s brutal invasion of Aphrodia’s capital, Io, thrusting her into the chaos of occupation.

Her path intertwines with the Killer Commandos, a monobike racer group, after member Will saves her during the invasion. Documenting their resistance, she maintains professional distance until Will’s death in combat shatters her objectivity. Grief and rage propel her to target Ishtar’s General Donner in a botched assassination attempt—a visceral but clumsy act underscoring her shift from chronicler to combatant.

Evolving from self-interest to moral reckoning, Susan grapples with guilt and simmering anger in the invasion’s aftermath. A psychological showdown with Donner, who tauntingly spares her, deepens her resolve. By the narrative’s end, she departs Venus with evidence of wartime atrocities, determined to expose systemic corruption while planning a return to the war-torn planet.

The manga labels her an "Action Survivor," with her arc receiving less focus than in the film adaptation. While the manga diverges politically—depicting Aphrodia’s defeat—her role in unveiling Venus’s terraforming failures and military abuses remains pivotal across all versions.