- "You're looking at the only known photos of a Locust called Ukkon. The enemy's resident geneticist -- a monster who makes monsters. Corpsers, Brumaks? His work. We need him eliminated."
- —Chairman Richard Prescott to Sgt. Gabriel Diaz[1]
The Assassination of Ukkon was an operation conducted by the Coalition of Ordered Governments Army and the Stranded to eliminate Ukkon, the head scientist of the Locust Horde, who was responsible for genetically altering and weaponizing indigenous creatures from the Hollow to be used as weapons for the Locust army. Following the Hammer of Dawn Strikes, the Coalition was desperate to maintain what cities were left standing as Ukkon threatened to unleash his creations upon the rest of Sera with the ability to destroy them completely. The operation was led by Sgt. Gabriel Diaz.
Prelude[]
During the first year of the Locust War, it was discovered by Coalition High Command that the various creatures within the Locust Horde army, such as the Corpsers and Brumaks, were created by Locust geneticist, Ukkon. The Coalition believed that eliminating Ukkon would severely wound the Locust army. All top information was sent to General Becket in CIC Aldair, but he had evacuated prior to the Hammer of Dawn Strikes. Before the strikes, Chairman Richard Prescott ordered the retrieval of the files by Sgt. Gabriel Diaz who would be in charge of the mission, as Chairman Prescott admired his improvisation from the Battle of Gatka Ridge during the end of the Pendulum Wars. However, this same event had caused Sgt. Diaz to demote himself to Sgt. from Lieutenant Colonel and motor pool after losing his brother Wyatt Callahan in the battle and becoming disillusioned in part due to Prescott's orders at the time.[2]
Order of Battle[]
Recovering Intel on Ukkon[]
Two hours before the Hammer of Dawn Strikes, Major Sid Redburn arrived to the COG Army bunker containing Sgt. Gabriel Diaz. After Pvt. Redburn's arrival, Sgt. Diaz received orders from Coalition High Command to locate classified files in the office of General Becket at CIC Aldair. Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn took an APC into the city and arrived at Embry Point, where Drones and Wretches infested the area and killed the guards of the CIC building. After eliminating the Drones and Wretches, Reavers began to flyby over the CIC building. Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn enter the building and General Becket's office where Sgt. Diaz found the classified files on a Locust scientist, Ukkon.
After retrieving the files, the Hammer of Dawn strikes commenced on Aldair. A squad of Reavers, Drones, and Wretches prevented Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn from escaping in the APC but took shelter in a nearby bank vault. Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn emerged after the Hammer of Dawn incinerated the city, along with most of Sera's surface. On their way back to the APC, several Emergence Holes opened - unleashing more Drones, Wretches, and Reavers. Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn were able to fight through the surviving Horde and reached the APC. Upon returning the bunker, they discovered it had been destroyed and everyone inside slaughtered. Major Redburn determined it was Ukkon and not the Hammer of Dawn.
Upon entering the bunker, Sgt. Diaz contacted Chairman Richard Prescott who ordered the files. Chairman Prescott then briefed Sgt. Diaz on the contents of the file. The Coalition had discovered a Locust named Ukkon who acted as the chief scientist and geneticist of the Locust Horde. Ukkon was responsible for the creation of the various creatures in the Locust army, namely the Corpsers and Brumaks. Chairman Prescott ordered Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn to find and eliminate Ukkon in order to prevent more creations from threatening what remains of Sera. However, Chairman Prescott was unable to provide Sgt. Diaz with proper reinforcements and supplies. Chairman Prescott then granted Sgt. Diaz the ability to recruit whomever he needed to complete his mission. Sgt. Diaz reluctantly accepted, but made it clear to Major Redburn that Major Redburn worked for him, not Chairman Prescott.
Recruiting the Task-Force[]
Using an APC to search for Echo-Five in the ruins of Aldair, Sgt. Diaz and Pvt. Redburn of Alpha Squad reunited with Marcella Trinh and Tyrone Shephard. They advised Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn that they were ambushed nearby. Attending the ambush site, after clearing the area of Locust, Alpha discovered that a majority of Echo-Five was wiped out. After uncovering the corpse of a new Locust Drone enhanced with Imulsion, Sgt. Diaz came to the conclusion that Ukkon was wiping out the mop-up crews. Major Redburn then discovered human tracks dragged from the site, indicating the Locust took survivors of Echo-Five as prisoners. Major Redburn and Sgt. Diaz used the nearby Tac-Com Vehicle and located two more survivors nearby.
Deducing that the prisoners were taken to be processed, an extreme form of Locust torture, Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn quickly searched for the survivors. The two survivors were place separately in Torture Pods, similar to iron-maidens. When Locust forces discovered Alpha Squad's presence, they activated a kill timer on the Torture Pods. With only minutes, Alpha Squad managed to eliminate the Locust threat while liberating the survivors of Echo-Five before being killed in the pods. The remainder of Echo-Five joined in Alpha's fight in neutralizing the Locust threat. While content with four new recruits, Sgt. Diaz lamented at the loss of Echo-Five and feared it would still not be enough to defeat Ukkon.
In the early hours of 34th Bloom, a group of civilian survivors of the Hammer strikes formed in the Industrial Disctrict of Aldair, led by civilian engineer, Mikayla Dorn, as the group took shelter around her Mammoth rig. Becoming Stranded, the group formed an ad-hoc militia using scavenged Coalition weapons, while Mikayla - being a proficient shot, utilized the Longshot Sniper Rifle. However, Locust troops emerged and began an assault on Mikayla's group. As civilian casualties began to rise and the Mammoth unable to start, Mikayla sent out a distress signal.
Alpha Squad, hoping to recruit more members, found Mikayla's distress signal and arrived to the Industrial District to Mikayla's outpost. After clearing the area of Locust troops and protecting Mikayla's group, Mikayla approached Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn - not wanting their help for being fascists. Sgt. Diaz then presented his offer to have her group be protected and join their task-force, but to Mikayla's dismay of conscripting civilians. She was also aware that Alpha Squad was trying to search and eliminate Ukkon. Piquing their interest, Mikayla offered to join along with her people and to provide Ukkon's location if they could repair her Mammoth rig. Sgt. Diaz, being a mechanic in the motor pool, was able to do so.
Searching for Ukkon[]
With enough recruits and a base of operations in the Mammoth, Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn had a respectable sized task-force. Mikayla then kept up her end of the deal by first taking them to the Packing District of Aldair, one of the places where Ukkon frequented. After clearing the area of Locust, they found Imulsion tanks in one of the warehouses. Major Redburn deduced they were to be used to enhance and build the Locust creatures. After destroying the Imulsion reserves, Mikayla revealed that another place Ukkon frequented was the city of Claybourne.
Upon arriving at Claybourne, Mikayla spotted Ukkon's base of operation on the other side of the Claybourne Dam. The dam and other side of Claybourne were guarded with heavy Locust presence. Sgt. Diaz, Major Redburn, and Mikayla charged the dam and were able to clear the entirety of it. At the end of the dam, Alpha took cover on the dam overlooking a COG base that had just fallen. There, Ukkon finally arrived to recover the human prisoners the Locust took. Just as Ukkon was about to take them, against orders, Mikayla shot Ukkon in mouth. Seemingly dead, Ukkon rose back up with his mouth instantly healing. Summoning a Brumak to destroy the Gears, Alpha Squad was able to destroy it by exploding the Brumak's rear Imulsion tanks.
Relocation to Vasgar[]
Discovering Ukkon's healing ability after a failed assassination attempt, Sgt. Diaz realized the COG was holding on to more classified details about Ukkon and feared those secrets were going to kill his task-force, with no answers after contacting Chairman Prescott. Sgt. Diaz then relocated his entire task-force to the deserts of Vasgar near the city of Imtik to train and prepare his recruits for the upcoming battle with Ukkon. A convoy camp was then set up, with Mikayla's Mammoth as a base of operations.
Meanwhile, Ukkon also relocated to Vasgar. Needing a new laboratory and base of operations, he discovered a UIR laboratory near the city of Zenic. In there was a group of Stranded led by scientist, Dr. Torres. Ukkon recognized Dr. Torres from their days at the New Hope Research Facility and the Mount Kadar Laboratory. He then murdered Dr. Torres and the remainder of the camp, while sparing Dr. Torres' daughter, Reyna Torres - the estranged daughter of Locust Queen, Myrrah. Ukkon then transformed the lab into his own to build more creatures for the Horde, including the Hydra, by directing pipes of Imulsion into the lab.
After two weeks of training, several Stranded conscripts abandoned Alpha due to Major Redburn's brutishness. Locating them nearby as Locust prisoners within Torture Pods, Alpha was able to eliminate the Locust presence and rescue the prisoners at the same time destroying an Imulsion supply that was originally believed to be for another Brumak that Ukkon intended to attack them with. However, the Imulsion tanks didn't appear to belong to a Brumak, suggesting that Ukkon was using them for something else. While rescuing the prisoners at the second, they found an empty canister similar to the one that Alpha saw Ukkon inhaling earlier. Taking the canister back to camp, Mikayla was able to translate the label, being fluent in Vasgari. It was revealed to originate from the Nedroma Health Institute. Believing that Ukkon might be using supplies from there, as well as possibly scavenging a haul of medical supplies, Alpha traveled to the institute.
Setting the Trap for Ukkon[]
Arriving at the Nedroma Health Institute, Mikayla transcribed the signs and revealed it was a research and quarantine facility for Rustlung. Among the Locust troops stationed there, the newly enhanced Drone known as the Disciple was positioned with them. After eliminating the Locust threat, Alpha found a full canister of the same variety that Ukkon was using and brought it back to base. Mikayla performed a diagnostic on it and discovered it to be an immune booster to only work against Rustlung, but had devastating side-effects.
Realizing that Ukkon was dying of Rustlung and was desperate for the immune boosters, Diaz proposed a trap - using the immune booster to lure him as bait. More intel from Mikayla revealed that Ukkon listened in on comms, which explained how Ukkon knew the plans of the humans. North of Imtik in the UIR Imulsion Rig, Sgt. Diaz placed the immune canister in the back of a storage truck and placed two trap harpoon guns to trap Ukkon. Major Redburn and Sgt. Diaz then feigned a conversation over comms about the immune booster in the truck north of Imtik to lure Ukkon. Later that night, Ukkon emerged with two escorting Drones and located the truck - but was harpooned and trapped upon opening the doors. Alpha eliminated the Locust Drones and cornered Ukkon.
However, Ukkon greeted Major Sid Redburn as an old companion - to which Major Redburn knocked out Sgt. Diaz and attempted to drive off with Ukkon trapped and alive. Mikayla prevented Major Redburn from driving away. However, Ukkon ripped off his left arm to escape and immediately regrew it, summoning a Corpser and Locust forces to destroy Alpha. During the battle, Alpha was able to drop a crane on the Corpser, killing it. After the battle, Sgt. Diaz and Mikayla Dorn arrested and detained Major Redburn.
Discovering Ukkon's Weakness[]
After deliberating with Chairman Prescott about Major Redburn's treason, Prescott ordered an execution. Sgt. Diaz and Mikayla Dorn confronted Major Redburn in his detainment cell. Wanting to spare Sgt. Diaz and Dorn with his dangerous secrets, Major Redburn revealed that when he was a young Gear, he was posted as a guard at the New Hope Research Facility in Tyrus. The facility was supposed to use genetic engineering to cure Rustlung, but the scientist, Dr. Niles Samson, went mad and desired to evolve humanity into a greater species, as well as a means to end the Pendulum Wars. Using the DNA of indigenous creatures of the Hollow, Dr. Niles Samson transformed human children ill with Rustlung into mindless, feral mutants he called Sires. However, one Sire retained his mental capacity: Ukkon. Major Redburn wanted to take Ukkon alive and parade him in Ephyra to show people the evil of the COG's politicians and how true military leaders were needed to end the war against the Locust.
After being directed to find files he stole and stashed at Winlock Outpost, Sgt. Diaz and Mikayla believed the truth that the COG created the Locust. Wanting answers, Sgt. Diaz challenged Chairman Prescott about New Hope. Denying any knowledge of it, Chairman Prescott requested the coordinates of their locations to receive equipment and reinforcements. Realizing it was a trap, Sgt. Diaz set the coordinates on a plateau away from the camp. Chairman Prescott then ordered a Hammer strike on the coordinates Sgt. Diaz gave - confirming that Chairman Prescott tried to kill to keep New Hope secret. Realizing they were now Stranded, they still believed in killing Ukkon. Major Redburn then revealed he knew how to kill Ukkon. Because Ukkon received his healing abilities through the experiments, the doctors at New Hope created a fail-safe to halt his healing process - called Cytostatic Gas. Major Redburn remembered how to create it, and advised Sgt. Diaz and Dorn to weaponize it. With him telling the truth and helping them, Sgt. Diaz pardoned Major Redburn.
Search for Ukkon's Base[]
While Major Redburn created the gas, Sgt. Diaz and Mikayla Dorn scavenged the nearby UIR Weapons Depot for supplies to create a grenade that can hold and release the gas, weakening Ukkon. After finding the containers and pins, they returned to the camp and completed the Cytostatic Gas Grenades. With the knowledge of Ukkon, the key to his weakness, and the numbers of their trained task-force - they were ready for battle. The only detail left was where to find Ukkon. Sgt. Diaz then discovered the only place in Vasgar that hadn't been scavenged by Ukkon was the city of Zenic. Alpha deduced that Ukkon didn't want to leave any tracks to his base of operations, and thus the city was clear.
Arriving to an outpost outside of Zenic, Sgt. Diaz and Major Redburn found a Locust prison camp with posted guards. During the battle, Sgt. Diaz found and released a civilian, Reyna Torres, who was able to fight. After the battle, she revealed to be aware of Ukkon and his location, but was in a state of shock. Bringing her to the camp, Mikayla was unable to get answers out of her. Sgt. Diaz then offered her water and talked with her. Taking a liking to Sgt. Diaz, Reyna revealed that she and her father, a scientist, were taking shelter inside an abandoned UIR lab in Zenic. But Ukkon arrived, killed her father, kept her alive, and transformed the lab into his own. Reyna then demanded that she was going to be on the front-lines with Sgt. Diaz to take down Ukkon herself.
Battle of Ukkon's Laboratory[]
After Reyna led the recon mission with Sgt. Diaz to the laboratory, Sgt. Diaz returned to the camp and rallied all his recruits: Gears and Stranded - to ambush the facility. The entire convoy drove up on Ukkon's lab and crashed through the front gates. As the Gears and Stranded took on Ukkon's soldiers and creations - Mikayla Dorn threw the first Cytostatic Gas Grenade at Ukkon. Opening fire, Ukkon was permanently wounded but retreated inside the facility.
With the battle outside, Sgt. Diaz led Major Redburn, Mikayla, and Reyna inside the facility to kill Ukkon. Ukkon then ordered guards to kill the humans while he prepared his latest creation, the Hydra, by pumping it full of Imulsion. After eliminating Ukkon's guards, Sgt. Diaz ordered all three of the Imulsion pumps to be shut off to keep Ukkon's creation from becoming stronger. After the Imulsion pumps were turned off, Ukkon arrived atop his Hydra and attempted to destroy Alpha Squad. However, they were able to shoot and destroy the Hydra's mask and comprise its Imulsion supply, killing it.
Death of Ukkon[]
- "You think you've won. But your suffering is only beginning. Humanity is weak, soft. My creatures, my perfect creations, will outlive you all!"
- —Ukkon's last words.
With his Hydra dead, Ukkon came face to face with Sid Redburn, Mikayla Dorn, Gabriel Diaz and Reyna Torres. Though Ukkon attempted to heal himself with the immunity booster, he was still suffering the effects of the earlier Cytostatic Gas Grenade and Dorn threatened that she had more to use on him. Defeated but not finished, Ukkon proclaimed that they would never stop all of his creations and the Locust would survive and win as humanity were weak and inferior. Ukkon was cut off in mid-sentence by Reyna shooting him in the head with a Snub pistol. With his regenerative powers weakened by the grenade, Ukkon was unable to heal himself and was killed instantly by the shot. Reyna then recovered her mother's amulet from Ukkon's corpse.[3]
Aftermath[]
With victory secured, Major Redburn decided it was best to let the secret of Ukkon and the Locust origins remain a secret rather than revealing the truth. With Ukkon's creations still out there, Alpha-Two, Reyna and the rest of Gabriel Diaz's force decided to dedicate themselves to hunting down and destroying the remaining creatures created by Ukkon.[3]
Following the operation, it became so classified that even Colonel Victor Hoffman didn't have access to the records. However, he still knew of it and thought that it was a secret that should never be revealed.
Eventually, Diaz and Reyna became married, became Outsiders following the end of the Locust War, and conceived a child named Kait before Diaz died of Rustlung in 30 A.E. In 42 A.E., Kait sought information about her father and discovered that his military record was incomplete. Victor Hoffman told her that there were things even he didn't have access to though he knew about them and told Kait that the right person to learn it from was Richard Prescott, despite him being dead for over twenty-five years. He also told Kait that there was one name she should pay attention to when she came across it: Ukkon. Kait committed Ukkon's name to memory and thought that it sounded familiar, as if she had heard it before in childhood. However, Kait's memory of where she heard of Ukkon before was elusive, possibly even deliberately sealed away.[4]
Appearances[]
- Gears Tactics (First appearance)
- Bloodlines (Indirect mention only)
References[]
- ↑ Gears Tactics: Act I: Zero Hour
- ↑ Gears of War: Bloodlines pg 268-273
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gears Tactics
- ↑ Gears of War: Bloodlines pages 346-347