The Assault on Franklin's Outpost was an attack on the Stranded outpost led by Franklin Tsoko in the ruins of Ephyra by the Locust Horde during the Lightmass Offensive.
Prelude[]
While the Locust had occupied most of Ephyra, their presence had been stirred by the Coalition of Ordered Governments Army during the Lightmass Offensive. Alpha-One and Delta-One were tasked with transporting the Sonic Resonator to the Lethia Imulsion Facility in order to map the Locust tunnels in the Hollow so that the Lightmass Bomb could hit the heart of the Hollow with the most precision. However, the Locust met with them in Ephyra and resulted in many causalities. It then became a reality that Delta-One, led by Sgt. Marcus Fenix, would not be able to arrive at the Lethia Imulsion Facility before sundown, and would be threatened by the swarms of Kryll at night.
Cpl. Dominic Santiago then advised that they procure a Junker from a nearby Stranded leader named Franklin Tsoko, who was employed by Cpl. Santiago to help search for his missing wife, Maria Santiago. The Junker was an APC fitted with Ultra-Violet Turrets to defend against the Kryll during the drive in the night. Upon arriving to Franklin's outpost, Cpl. Santiago met with Franklin and obtained the keys to the Junker, but it still had to be acquired and filled at Aspho Gas Station, owned by Chaps. In addition, Tsoko demanded that Cpl. Santiago's squad mates Pvt. Augustus Cole and Cpl. Damon Baird stay with Tsoko and protect the camp until Cpl. Santiago would return.
Order of Battle[]
The Locust began attacking the outpost's checkpoints not long after this, causing Franklin to assume that they were planning to attack the outpost as well. He ordered his militia forces to begin preparing for an attack and warned Cpl. Santiago and Sgt. Fenix to hurry in getting back with the vehicle. Checkpoint One was lost to the Kryll and Franklin ordered his men to check the lights around the outpost. He and his men began bringing their heavy weaponry out in anticipation of a large assault.[1] Pvt. Cole then messaged Sgt. Fenix that the Stranded began to arm themselves and barricade the camp, and he feared that a large Locust assault was underway.
Lt. Anya Stroud then alerted a massive Locust army approaching the Stranded camp, urging Cpl. Santiago and Sgt. Fenix to quickly find the Junker and return to the outpost. Cpl. Santiago and Sgt. Fenix eventually met with Chaps at the Aspho Gas Station and fueled the Junker. However, when attempting to contact Franklin's outpost and Pvt. Cole - the line went dead, as the attack on the outpost had just begun, as confirmed by Lt. Stroud. Locust once again attacked Cpl. Santiago and Sgt. Fenix, but the two and Chaps managed to escape the area just as gas station exploded from the attack. As Pvt. Cole and Cpl. Baird assisted Tsoko and his camp from the Locust, Cpl. Santiago and Sgt. Fenix used the Junker's UV turret to destroy the nearby swarms of Kryll that threatened the camp. After doing so, the three returned to Franklin's outpost and joined the defense against the Locust.
Sgt. Fenix and Cpl. Santiago arrive to assist Delta-Two and the Outpost.
The majority of the defense was fought along the perimeter wall, as numerous Emergence Holes appeared in front of the outpost. After destroying the Emergence Holes and killing the ground forces, the Locust were attacking from various high-rise buildings. Sgt. Fenix noticed weaknesses in two of the major areas. In the high-rise across the perimeter wall was a cement ceiling that was barely being held up by a load-bearing wall. Sgt. Fenix shot at the load-bearing wall and was able to collapse the entire floor onto the stationed Locust in the high-rise. Near the wall was a rooftop of a low-rise building that held more Locust troops. On the roof also was a gas pipe running across it. At some point in the battle, the pipe was punctured and began leaking gas. Sgt. Fenix was able to shoot at the pipe and cause the rooftop to explode, killing all Drones.
Delta Squad evacuating the Outpost.
As the battle continued, a majority of the Stranded were killed. After the attack in front of the outpost, the Locust pushed one final time and opened a massive Emergence Hole behind the perimeter wall within the camp, unleashing four Boomers. The Boomers began to open fire upon the outpost. The explosions caused the outpost's massive Imulsion tank to dislodge and roll towards the propane storage. Sgt. Fenix noticed the large Imulsion tank leaking over the supply of Propane Tanks. Sgt. Fenix shot at one of the propane tanks which caused a chain reaction of explosions. The Imulsion tank rolled off the storage area and fell into the Emergence Hole, causing it to explode and close the Emergence Hole, killing the Boomers. The surviving Stranded, such as Franklin Tsoko and Chaps, escaped the area. Meanwhile, Delta regrouped and boarded the Junker.
Aftermath[]
Cpl. Santiago driving the Junker.
The Locust were fought off, but many of the Stranded defenders died. Franklin and Chaps escaped alive, but with the loss of one of the Stranded's largest outposts, many Stranded fled underground to try and seek shelter.[2] Franklin and Chaps would also flee underground in the following months under the caves of Mount Kadar. Delta was reunited and are promised safe travels against the Kryll on their way to the Lethia Imulsion Facility which they were successful in reaching and deploying, but failed to acquire the desired tunnel date.
References[]
- ↑ Gears of War: Act 2: Nightfall: Lethal Dusk
- ↑ Gears of War 2