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"Azura was a bunker for the COG's elite, so they could hide until the war was over. The last war."
—Sgt. Marcus Fenix explaining Azura's purpose.

Azura is a city island in the southern Serano Ocean. Built during the early Pendulum Wars, it was designed as a luxury bunker for the COG's elite in the event of global holocaust. The island was self-sustainable and contained both natural and constructed defenses. The bunker was fitted to be an island resort and later used as a research facility. Among the research there was developing cures for Imulsion-based diseases such as Rustlung and Lambency, creating weapons of mass destruction such as the Hammer of Dawn and Lightmass Missile, and preparing the rebuilding efforts for civilization should global annihilation occur. The final battle of the Locust War took place on Azura, as Professor Adam Fenix was successful in activating the Imulsion countermeasure, a targeted radiation device aimed at killing Lambent cells. Azura was later abandoned and used as a massive burial site for the crystallized Locust bodies.

History[]

Founding[]

Azura was discovered by monks originating from Tyrus and constructed a monastery in the Azura Mountains.

Pendulum Wars[]

Construction[]

"And this bloody facility's been here all these years."
"With all the scientists. No wonder they disappeared. We thought they'd been killed.
"
—Pvt. Samantha Byrne and Lt. Anya Stroud discussing the purpose of Azura and its relation with the missing scientists all over Sera

When Imulsion was discovered as a fuel source in the Golden Age, a global conflict between the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Union of Independent Republics, known as the Pendulum Wars, began in 79 B.E. to fight for political and economic power over regions that held Imulsion. The COG, being the supreme power in the war, had government officials fearing the war would cause a global holocaust. If the events were to come so, the greatest minds and leaders of Sera would be housed together and rebuild humanity.

In the early years of the war, the COG issued the construction of a bunker on Azura around 53 B.E. The island was chosen for its capacity to support a massive defensive effort. The bunker was fitted to be an island resort hotel and remained confidential. Due to its secluded nature, Azura was converted into a research facility that pursued various subjects for curing diseases, engineering, agriculture, and other studies that would be needed to rebuild the planet. Among the chief scientists was geneticist Dr. Niles Samson, who was later brought back to the mainland to research Rustlung at the New Hope Research Facility.

Mutiny at OZP-11[]

During the Mutiny at OZP-11, COG forces were alerted to the threat posed by rebelling UIR forces attempting to launch their own Hammer of Dawn satellite network. In response, the COG fired a Lightmass Missile from Azura to successfully put down the rebellion.[1]

Locust War[]

Evacuating the COG's Elite[]

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After the Locust emerged six weeks after the end of the Pendulum Wars, Chairman Tomas Dalyell did not stop evacuating key scientists and political leaders to Azura, now more for their safety rather than research. After the death of Dalyell, Richard Prescott took position as Chairmen and was given A2897, a disk which contained the layout, maps, and route to and of Azura Island. Prescott was an avid visitor, but spent most of his time on the mainland with the remaining Human race. He continued to evacuate key figures of Sera just as Dalyell and others did before him. Like before, he would use cover stories that expressed those kidnapped were actually killed or died.

In fear of Azura being compromised by Locust or Human, Prescott had Adam Fenix build an Adaptive Atmospheric Manipulation System or a "Maelstrom Barrier." This device would create an artificial hurricane storm around Azura island to make it impassable for sea and air transport. Submersive transportation or strong-altitude vehicles were used as transport. Though Adam Fenix was successful, he was not informed about Azura or what purpose the Maelstrom device would be used for.

Lambent Research[]

When Adam Fenix let slip his involvement with the Locust Horde predating Emergence Day, Prescott had Adam's assistant, Nevil, and Adam himself relocated to Azura in 10 A.E. There, Adam recovered from the injuries sustained from the collapse of his mansion during the Battle of Ephyra. Prescott then stayed on Azura for some time to monitor Adam. Upon learning of Adam's knowledge of the Locust Horde and Queen Myrrah before E-Day, Prescott then coerced Adam into working at Azura in an attempt to cure the Lambency.

Lambent Pandemic[]

Continuing Research into Lambency[]

While on Vectes during the Lambent Pandemic, communication between Adam and Prescott was constant. Adam informed Prescott on the Lambent spreading, but mentioned that he would need live samples. After Prescott left, Adam spent the remaining years of his life at Azura, experimenting with the Lambent samples. He then used his research to build a weapon on the roof of Azura known as the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. Adam had failed at creating a biological cure for Lambency, so the last line of defense was to kill all Imulsion-colonized cells with an energy wave released by the countermeasure, input by the radiation needed to kill all Imulsion cells.

Siege of Azura[]

Prescott and Adam worked together until 17 A.E. when Queen Myrrah and forces discovered Azura and passed through the Maelstrom. Queen Myrrah ordered her forces to kill all civilians until she discovered Adam Fenix, who she believed to be dead. After discovering the countermeasure he had made, she ordered him to modify it to kill all Lambent and Humans, without harming the Locust. She kept him prisoner while he sent Prescott away with a message to his son, Marcus, and a request for an offensive.

Battle of Azura[]

"Oh, God... are those the research staff?"
"Hard to say. I can't tell whether their coats were white or not.
"
—Lt. Anya Stroud and Cpl. Damon Baird discussing the hanged bodies of some scientists

Prescott fled with his Onyx Guards and a private Raven to CNV Sovereign to request such an offensive to take back Azura. Only then did Prescott hand Marcus the message from his father, and the encryption to A2897 was given right before Prescott died. After Marcus and his squad left the Endeavor Naval Shipyard and reached Azura, he finally reunited with his father, who he had long thought dead. Azura would become the location for the last battle of the Locust War and the end of the Lambent Pandemic. The Humans fought Locust forces and emerging Lambent until Adam activated the countermeasure device, which effectively destroyed all organisms heavily affected by Imulsion exposure.  The end result was the near-instantaneous deaths of all Locust and Lambent. Adam Fenix died as well, due to his self-experimentation with Lambent cells.[2]

Interwar Period[]

The island was subsequently abandoned and according to Marcus, only a handful of people made it off of the island. It also became one of dozens perhaps hundreds of burial sites for crystalized Locust corpses.[1]

Swarm Invasion[]

Reactivating the Hammer of Dawn[]

Gears 5 Azura

The rocket takes off

While looking through Adam Fenix's data disk for information on the Hammer of Dawn, Damon Baird found a reference to Azura that he'd either missed before or overlooked. However, he didn't understand the significance of the reference to the island.[3]

Based on the information from the disk, Baird dispatched Delta Squad on a mission to the Abandoned Research Facility on the island where the Hammer of Dawn was first developed and launched. The data revealed a single intact silo with a COG Rocket ready to launch a prototype Hammer of Dawn satellite which Baird hoped could be used to restore the network. By this time, the Locust burial site on Azura had become active and the island was a Swarm Hive. Fighting through the Swarm forces occupying the facility, JD Fenix used Dave to open a locked door, causing him to download data from the facility's consoles which drew Baird's attention to data that had been removed by the facility commander. JD and Delmont Walker recovered an external hard drive containing the data from the facility commander's office safe and successfully launched the rocket despite the complication of the silo hatch only partially opening at first. Delta was then evacuated from the island by Samantha Byrne in a King Raven.[1] However, Baird was unable to use the satellite to find the other fifteen from the original network, giving him very limited use of the Hammer of Dawn,[4] which caused a disaster when it was fired during the Evacuation of Settlement 2.[5]

Despite the ultimate failure to reactivate the Hammer of Dawn, the data recovered on Azura led to the UIR's Hammer of Dawn program at OZP-11, providing another way to reactivate the system.[6]

Locations[]

Acanthus Hotel
Acanthus Hotel was a major housing for citizens of Azura that was connected by Aqua Solarium and led to Pinnacle Tower.

Acanthus Train Station
Acanthus Station was the third major train station that rode through Azura Island. Acanthus Station was linked by Aqua Solarium and the Hotel leading to Pinnacle Tower.

Aqua Solarium Resort and Spa

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Based on Azura's beach, Aqua Solarium was the more social places on Azura. This included several hotel housing for the average citizens and families in Azura. The Solarium included the Hyrdro-Electric Dam which powered parts of Azura, art galleries featuring art from the National Museum of Ephyra, Spas and Therapy Treatments, Restaurants, Schools, and Theatres. Aqua Solarium has been built as the City of Azura and is known as 'City of Dreams.' The Solarium then connects to Acanthus Station and the hotel leading to Pinnacle Tower.

Azura Beach

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Azura Beach was the shoreline of Azura Island. Aside from holding the agriculture, the beach was used as a docking area for Locust and COG forces to land on the island. It was also had for a defensive standpoint in front of the island cliff.

Azura Research Facility

Gears 5 COG Rocket

The Azura Research Facility, built underground in the wilds of Azura, was a top-secret research and development facility used to build and launch Hammer of Dawn satellites in the final years of the Pendulum Wars. After it had fulfilled its purpose, it was mothballed.

Maelstrom Facility

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On the edge of Azura's Beach Cliff, the COG and Adam Fenix built the Adaptive Atmospheric Manipulation System, or the 'Maelstrom Generator' to shield Azura from enemy forces or intruders. The facility was built by a main lobby being connected to the beach and hotels. Beyond the lobby are the three generators that power the device, followed by a large generator with six coolants in the main room which, when activated, beams into the atmosphere in Azura and creates an artificial hurricane.

Pinnacle Tower

"Shit... who'd they build this for, anyway."
"It's a frickin' palace! Thanks, Prescott. Good use of my taxes.
"
—Pvt. Augustus Cole and Cpl. Damon Baird overviewing Pinnacle Tower's structure and decoration
PinnacleTower

Pinnacle Tower

Pinnacle Tower is the main, central, and tallest tower in Azura. Pinnacle Tower houses the most key figures of Azura and Sera including scientists with their research on Imulsion. Key leaders were also housed here as well. Accompanying the main lobby was followed by art galleries and escort service. Down the hall is the main atrium where the two main elevators resided. The first several stories were basic housing. Following the next seven floors were advanced rooms by key residents who required isolation, then the top penthouse floor where the main leaders rooms and lab were, including the room of Adam Fenix. The roof was used as a helicopter landing but since the ending years of the Locust War was the location of the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon.

Rose Train Station
Rose Train Station was the beginning of the passenger and cargo train that took new residents of Azura from the Submarine Port to the Cargo Holding, Central Azura and Pinnacle Tower.

Submarine Port
After the Maelstrom was deployed, the only entrance to Azura was through the caves under the island. The cavern to Azura was blocked by a reinforced steel door and guarded by torpedo turrets. The submarine, if given access, drives through a cavern to the Submarine Port which welcomed newcomers to Azura. The port is fitted as a luxiorus park in the cavern and was then linked to the train station leading into Central Azura.

Known Inhabitants[]

Politicians

Scientists

Military Personnel

Other Inhabitants

Appearances[]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • In Dirty Little Secrets, Chairman Richard Prescott reveals that Azura had been used for the last forty years, as of 15 A.E., indicating that Azura was built around 25 B.E. However, this conflicts with Gabrielle Ornar, who spent 48 years in Azura before 17 A.E., and that Azura had began taking scientists two years prior. It was revealed in The Slab by Prescott that Azura was built during the early years of the Pendulum Wars and that Dr. Niles Samson was an architect and inhabitant of Azura. Given the time period of Ornar and Samson, and Prescott's dates, it's more likely that Azura was built around 55 B.E.

References[]

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