- "Drivers! Listen up. Rule one-stay in radio contact at all times. You won't be able to see what the hell's going on fore or aft, gentlemen, and if the shit hits the fan, then this is where your redirection will come from. Let me remind you that standard operating procedures are not a suggestion-you will maintain one-hundred-meter intervals, you will clear a kill zone as fast you can, you will not stop in a kill zone, you will use maximum firepower. Now-listen for your call sign and start your engines."
- —Col. Hoffman, before the evacuation of North Gate
The Evacuation of North Gate was an evacuation of the North Gate Agricultural Depot that occurred a week after the Lightmass Offensive.
Order of Battle[]
Incursion[]
After defeating around a dozen Drones and a Boomer, Delta Squad reported to High Command that the Locust incursions are at their lowest levels and were only sending the small units of Drones out with no heavy support. High Command, thinking that the war was in it's last days began recuperating. These actions were shown to be premature when a massive Locust attack force approached North Gate Farm, a zone that was previously thought to be secure, now under direct threat from the Locust Horde. High Command, knowing that they couldn't spare any men or equipment to defend North Gate decided to evacuate all personnel and equipment to Jacinto.
The Road to North Gate[]
The COG convoy began seeing something that they thought to be impossible: Humans living regular lives. Stranded had small shops, trying to live the type of life thought normal before E-Day, thinking that the Lightmass Offensive was truly successful. After getting to North Gate, the Gears dismounted from their vehicles to help the COG civilians load their belongings onto the trucks.
Preemptive strike[]
While the Sappers were loading supplies onto the trucks, Anya took control of JACK and sent the bot on a recon mission, discovering a group of 20 Drones. Anya informed Col. Hoffman about the Locust forces and decided to go en route with Delta-One. Taking KR A-108, they landed near the Locust forces and engaged the enemies. Hoffman and Bernie were both wounded in the skirmish, but their injuries were not life-threatening. Hoffman was shot in the calf while Bernie received a black eye and stiff lip from a Drone that she chainsawed and had to dig it's bones' fragments out from her face.[8]
The Race to Jacinto[]
Before departing, the COG forces destroyed anything that could not be taken with them in a scorched earth policy, both to prevent the Locust from utilizing them and force the remaining Stranded to join Operation Lifeboat. The convoy hurriedly left North Gate as the impending Locust assault was coming closer. In the city of Ephyra, they came under attack from the Locust. What made matters worse was that most of the Gears defending the convoy were pushing 60 including Hoffman and Bernie. The Locust Grenadiers began to attach Bolo Grenades onto the APCs, destroying one and leaving a second explosive on Hoffman's APC while he and Tai Kaliso were scouting on a nearby street. The two got ambushed and tried to fight the Locust off and were nearly killed, but were rescued by Dom and Marcus who came back for them after hearing about their predicament from Anya. The four dispatched the Locust Drones and JACK disarmed the explosives. During the continuing journey to Jacinto, a cargo truck was lost. The Gear riding shotgun was killed and the civilian driver was badly wounded. With one APC and a few trucks left, the COG forces barely made it back to Jacinto. When the battered convoy arrived, they received a hard earned hero's welcome from the local population which was a great morale booster.
Aftermath[]
Tai led a mission back into the city to recover the remains of the fallen Gears and civilians and get the stolen supplies back from the Stranded. Back in Jacinto, the rumors spread that the war was won and the Locust was defeated. However, seismic activity around Tollen forced HQ to send Delta-One on a recon mission to the city. When they arrived, they found a ten kilometer long lake in it's place.[9] The sinking of Tollen along with the loss of Montevado forced the COG to launch Operation: Hollow Storm.
References[]
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 257
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 135
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 199
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 202
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 69
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 70
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 206
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 145
- ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 382