The Hivebuster Offensive was a rogue COG operation conceived by Colonel Victor Hoffman following the inaction of First Minister Mina Jinn during the Swarm Invasion. Inspired by the success of Operation: Hollow Storm during the Locust War, Hoffman orchestrated the offensive with Doctor Hana Cole to deliver Venom Bombs in the heart of Swarm Hives in order to eliminate the entire group of Swarm connected to each one.
Prelude[]
Inspired by the success of Operation: Hollow Storm during the Locust War by taking the fight into enemy territory, Col. Victor Hoffman brought the idea of invading and destroying Swarm Hives from the inside to First Minister Mina Jinn, which was swiftly rejected as she believed the DeeBees could end the Swarm Invasion. Jinn then forced Hoffman into retirement for disagreeing with her. Frustrated, Hoffman gathered his old comrades to assemble a taskforce to decimate Swarm Hives from within. Hoffman employed Major Donneld Mathieson with finding the people for the job. Hoffman met Doctor Hana Cole, daughter of Pvt. Augustus Cole, and theorized that each Hive had its own quasi-central nervous system and that each member of the Swarm originating from their particular Hive were connected to each other, thereby destroying the heart of the Hive could also destroy all the Swarm that originated there. The issue was finding a way to infiltrate the Hive, developing a weapon that could destroy the heart, and assemble a taskforce willing to do this mission.
During the Second Mission to New Hope, Cpl. Kait Diaz and Lt. Delmont Walker discovered a toxic gas within the New Hope Research Facility as a failsafe in case the facility became overrun with the Sires. The gas was released when a Flock of Leeches attacked the A.I. security Three candidatessystem developed by Doctor Niles Samson. Hoffman acquired a sample of the toxic gas and had Cole weaponize it for the heart of the Hive. While working, they discovered a Hive was created out of the Locust burial site in Sanctum, a fallout shelter built on Pahanu. Hoffman and Cole saw this as the first place to test the Hivebuster plan. However, the team believed the only way to enter the Hive was to fight through it - meaning they needed to find Gears for a suicide mission. Hoffman was able to acquire DeeBees and Vulture 114B to help with the operation, but the Vulture crashed on Pahanu and the DeeBees on board were lost. Hoffman sent his remaining DeeBees to scout out the Sanctum Hive, but they were corrupted by the Swarm.
Hoffman had Mathieson recruit three people who were combat-trained and either desperate or suicidal enough to consider this mission. The first recruit was Lance Corporal Jeremiah Keegan of the Onyx Guard, who was stationed in Azura for most of the Locust War and regretted not being able to fight with his brothers. The next candidate was Lieutenant Lahni Kaliso of the 81st "Brash" Brigade, responsible for eliminating Locust survivors following Victory Day, but was imprisoned for dereliction of duty and getting her commanding officer killed. The final candidate was an Outsider named Leslie "Mac" Macallister, who was a delivery driver for Bravelle, but lost his entire family to the Swarm - causing him to join the COG Army for revenge. The three were placed on 011 to meet with Hoffman and Cole at Hoffman's Estate on Galangi. A Flock struck the plane and caused it crash on Pahanu. The three candidates managed to parachute out before the crash and radioed Jasi Tak for rescue. As the three were rescued, they witnessed a creature hidden in the trees firing an acid that killed the Swarm on the beach. The three were brought to Hoffman's Estate where they were briefed on the Hivebust of Sanctum.
Order of Battle[]
Hivebust of Sanctum[]
Mission to Weilehi[]
Mission to the Wakaatu Nest[]
Hivebust of Pahanu[]
Armed with their new Venom Bombs and Adrenaline Injectors, Team Scorpio returned to Pahanu and found a group of Snatchers. Confident in their plan, Scorpio allowed the Snatchers to capture them.[1]
Scorpio were taken into the heart of the Swarm Hive on Pahanu and podded. While the injectors revived Jeremiah Keegan and Lahni Kaliso, it failed on Leslie "Mac" Macallister who remained trapped in a nightmare of the death of his family during the Ambush on Bravelle. Lahni was able to locate Mac, however, and rescued him from his pod. As Mac recovered, Keegan warned the other two that they had no radio signal in the Hive and that they had to hope that Tak was waiting for them on the surface.[2] Comparing notes as Scorpio planted their Venom Bombs in the Hive's floor, the three realized that they had shared the same dream while connected to the Swarm Hivemind and joked about their experience. Mac set the bombs with a timer of two minutes and the team began making their way out of the Hive.[2]
As Scorpio left the Hive, Keegan and Lahni questioned if what they saw in the dream was a real Swarm attack which Mac confirmed. Mac explained how his village was built at a decommissioned COG outpost built near the end of the Locust War which had turned out to be a Locust burial site.
As Scorpio climbed down a broken staircase and made their way through a tunnel, Lahni pointed out how they had to be captured and podded because going in the front door was suicide, but that even though they were in the heart of the Hive, there was no sign of the Swarm as if they had left. Mac stated that they had ten seconds to go and felt that if Hoffman was right about the Swarm dying without their Hive, he'd call it a win. Unnoticed to Scorpio, the sounds they made as they walked through the Hive awakened the sleeping Swarm forces.
As Scorpio emerged from the heart of the Hive, their Venom Bombs detonated and Scorpio came under heavy attack by thousands of Drones, Juvies, Pouncers, Snatchers and Scions from all sides. With the gas from the Venom Bombs rapidly spreading towards them, Lahni covered Keegan and Mac as they moved further up. Scorpio realized that they had no choice but to fight their way straight through the Swarm to the extraction point. Lahni narrowly avoided being captured by a Snatcher and managed to injure it with a Talon Autopistol before the Snatcher was killed by the gas cloud.
Grabbing Hammerburst IIs, Scorpio managed to fight their way through the Swarm to the extraction point on top of a rocky outcropping and called Tak to pick them up. As the venomous gas spread throughout the area, Scorpio held the Swarm off and Tak arrived in his King Raven Mark 2 and lowered rappelling lines for Scoprio through the hole in the top of the cavern. Scorpio was lifted out of the Hive as the gas destroyed it and all of the Swarm forces on Pahanu, emerging through the hole to be visible from the air.[2]
As Team Scorpio recovered at the Hoffman Estate, Doctor Hana Cole reported that the data from the Hivebust strongly suggested that detonating the Venom Bombs in the heart of a Swarm Hive would wipe it out. With the mission completed, it was now a matter of wait and see. Lahni Kaliso asked about the Swarm still on the surface and Hana stated that if her theory that the heart of the Hive itself acted as a quasi-central nervous system then the rest should die off. However, Hoffman told Scorpio that it was no longer their concern as he and Hana would monitor the situation from there and Tak was going to return them to the mainland.
Hoffman informed Lahni that for her work on the mission, his friends in COG Command had been able to see to it that her sentence had been overturned and her rank as Lieutenant reinstated. Hoffman joked with Jeremiah Keegan about retirement and reassured the man that he had only been following orders years before and did the Onyx Guard proud and to Keegan's surprise, Hoffman had set up a meeting with Captain Paul Dury for him.
Before Mac could leave, Hoffman stated that he had something to say to him and the rest of Scorpio decided to hear it too as they were still a team as long as they were together. With all of the data suggesting that the Hivebuster plan worked, Hoffman offered Mac a new mission: destroy the Swarm Hive in Bravelle that had killed Mac's family and friends. Although Hoffman offered to find replacements for Keegan and Lahni, both volunteered to join Mac and Team Scorpio accepted their new mission.[2]
Mission to Croya[]
As Tak flew Scorpio over Croya, Mac had him drop them there. Looking around at the wreckage, Lahni noted how bad things had gotten there and wished that Tak could've dropped them off closer to Bravelle. Mac explained that his father had wanted to make sure that no COG aircraft could land right on top of Bravelle or access the outpost and Croya had used to be heavily guarded. When they settled the valley, there had been two groups of refugees so they had built two villages along the river with five miles between them. Mac reassured the others that going through Croya was the only way into Bravelle.
Lahni admitted that when they first met, she had thought that Mac would cut and run at the first sign of danger, but she was wrong about him and Mac joked about his red hair and complicated family drama. Mac admitted that he was used to people underestimating him and that he'd never wanted to be a soldier but rather a chef like his real father. Scorpio then stumbled across a statue of Mac in Croya Square[2] which he explained was for being the best delivery driver in the area. The Outsiders gave out medals for such things to recognize the contributions people made to the communities. Mac admitted that he'd never considered before how rewarding it had been to be part of a community doing good for others like that as they were all just getting on with living. The simplicity had meant more to his father back then and Mac had been too young to appreciate it, but everything had happened there, Mac dreamed of the quiet.[3]
As Scorpio continued through Croya, they came across a broken bridge over a runoff. Suggesting that they could just wade across, Mac led the others in climbing down, joking about how as a kid, he and other kids would line up on either side of the runoffs and throw rocks at each other until one side started bleeding. However, the three then discovered that the runoff was a mass grave of skeletons and a disturbed Mac called them the lucky ones that were allowed to die and they should all be so lucky.
Climbing out on the other side, Scorpio noted the fortifications and that the Outsiders had put up one hell of a fight against the Swarm attack, holding the Swarm there and buying the civilians and farmers time to get across the bridge. However, Keegan and Lahni noticed that aside from the fortification and some spent shell casings, there was nothing left behind that one would expect to find in a warzone.[3]
As Scorpio continued, Mac spotted his old delivery truck Mister Reliable which he could handle driving if it wasn't too badly damaged. Mac explained how Amanda had refused to junk it despite the truck breaking down on every run. As he examined the engine, Mac made a derise remark about the military dictatorship of the COG for which he was reprimanded by Keegan. Mac determined that it would only take him a few hours of maintenance to replace a few parts and get Mister Reliable working again.
Lahni spotted a nearby farmhouse that looked like it had taken a beating and suggested that it had been a defensive position during the Swarm attack. The house had a clear view to the road from the second floor and both Lahni and Keegan thought that it would be a good idea to check it out. Having retrieved tools from the garage, Mac agreed with them checking the house out while he worked on Mister Reliable, but Keegan warned him to be careful as something wasn't right with Croya. Keegan felt that Mac wasn't taking the situation seriously, but Lahni ordered him to go easy on the young man who was dealing with a lot.
Heading into the wrecked farmhouse, Keegan and Lahni checked it for enemies and found beers in the fridge that they enjoyed while keeping watch from the second floor window. As they sat, Keegan mused that he had been a solider his entire life, but the Hivebusting missions were the most action he had seen since becoming an Onyx Guard and Keegan had thought that he'd be saving the world. Keegan pointed out how Mac, a civilian his whole life and delivery driver was throwing himself into the action like it was nothing. Lahni pointed out that Mac had nothing to lose and Keegan asked about them. Keegan realized that Lahni still dreamed of returning to her unit which she confirmed, stating that it is her life. Keegan reminded Lahni that it was her life before and that four years was a long time, especially with the Swarm Invasion changing things. Keegan questioned how much of the Brash Brigade was even still alive and Lahni admitted that even Hoffman didn't know. Both recognized that what Mac had said earlier about being able to take the soldier out of the war but not the soldier out of the man had been eating at them.
In the garage, Mac finished repairs on Mister Reliable and offered the vehicle a deal that if it worked for him and took them to Bravelle, he would drive it off of a cliff and put it out of its misery. To Mac's pleasure, Mister Reliable started up for him. In the house, Keegan was pleased that Mac had succeeded, but was confused by how Mac was continuing on like his whole life wasn't gone, but Lahni stated that people dealt with their shit differently. Keegan and Lahni acknowledged that living on Sera, people got used to losing something or everything. As Keegan commented on how he didn't know if he wanted more war or less after everything that he had seen, Lahni noticed the Swarm crossing the runoff and drew his attention.[3]
As Mac wondered what was going on, Lahni drew his attention to the approaching Swarm and stated that his newly-repaired engine appeared to have drawn their attention. The Swarm opened fire, blowing off Mister Reliable's sideview mirror and Mac quickly reversed towards the house as Keegan and Lahni took cover inside of the house. Mac crashed the truck through the front of the house and Lahni and Keegan jumped into the back.
As Lahni and Keegan laid down covering fire at the Swarm surrounding them, Mac drove Mister Reliable through the horde, running over Swarm creatures as he went. As Scorpio fled, Keegan was hit in the shoulder, but ordered Mac to keep driving as he and Lahni kept fighting to keep the Swarm at bay and off of the truck. A Juvie that made it up the side of the truck was able to claw Lahni's leg before she killed it. Finally, Scorpio managed to get clear of the chasing Swarm forces.
As Scorpio thought they were clear, a Swarm Flock appeared and Mac ordered Keegan to do something heroic to them. Keegan and Lahni shot the Flock before Mac swung the truck around to face it head on. Angrily ordering the Swarm to try to finish him off this time, Mac drove Mister Reliable straight through the Flock[3] and into a runoff. The charge killed a few of the Leeches and caused the rest to flee, but wrecked Mister Reliable at the same time.[4]
Mac was knocked unconscious in the crash and dreamed of his life with his wife and son before being roused by Lahni. Keegan and Lahni revealed that they had only managed to take out a few of the Swarm Flock before crashing but that the rest had retreated. Mac informed the others that Bravelle wasn't far and that he had gotten them a few miles down the road before the Flock took them out. Keegan and Mac bantered about Mac's relationship with Mister Reliable before Lahni warned them to save their fight for the Swarm. Mac acknowledged that she was right and the Flock could return.[4]
Hivebust of Bravelle[]
As Team Scorpio continued down the road towards Bravelle, Keegan told the others about his time stationed in Halvo Bay working at a supply depot before he joined the Onyx Guard and Mac summarized that Keegan was a delivery driver which he realized Mac was right about even though Keegan had never thought about it that way before. Keegan told the other two about how that quiet before the storm was a strange time with people too afraid to make too much noise lest they draw the Locust to them.
Keegan explained that during the Destruction of Halvo Bay, he was guarding a supply depot when a unit of Onyx Guards arrived looking for supplies. Seeing that they needed help, Keegan helped the Onyx Guards out and after they survived, was recruited. However, Keegan was sent to Azura to protect high society such as Chairman Richard Prescott and survived the war because he was safe from it a thousand miles away from his brothers and sisters that were fighting. Keegan admitted that he didn't feel right most days that he was still alive which Mac agreed with.
Scorpio came across the wrecked vehicles from the the fight where Mac had lost his family. Mac admitted that he wished that he had a backup team the likes of Scorpio during the attack as it might've given the story a happier ending. Mac climbed into his old truck as Keegan tried to comfort Mac that he'd done what he could, but Mac felt that it didn't really matter as the story was written long before he'd had a say and that it was always gonna end that way. Mac retrieved his old Major Howl action figure from the truck and told the others that Bravelle was just ahead.
As Mac began walking towards Bravelle,[4] Lahni reminded him that she saw what happened during the ambush and that Mac's people had fought and made the Swarm pay for what they stole.[2] Mac shrugged off Lahni's efforts and told her that he needed to know how his story ended and walked away. Keegan told Lahni to let him and that he knew that sometimes you had to travel that path in your head for awhile and that it took a man time to find where he fit in the world after or if he even did anymore.
Shortly thereafter, Scorpio arrived outside of Bravelle and Keegan admired the beauty of it. Lahni suggested that once they wiped out the Swarm Hive, Mac could settle in the village again, but he refuted the idea as the Swarm had taken everything that had made Bravelle home to him. Mac stated that home was not about the place but the people which Keegan agreed with. Mac stated that having Lahni and Keegan with him was enough and that it was time to get payback on the Swarm in the company of good people.
Scorpio made their way through Bravelle towards the bunker, but Mac stopped the team when they arrived outside of his old house and went in alone, sat in his son's room, played with Dillon's Major Howl toy and looked at his old Major Howl and the Battlin' Ants! book. Outside, Keegan and Lahni discussed her time in the Brash Brigade hunting down the Locust survivors after the detonation of the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. Lahni insisted that the bond they developed doing so was why she had to return to her unit. Mac emerged and informed the others that they were clear and that the road to the bunker was straight ahead. Lahni asked if he had found what he was looking for, but Mac admitted that he hadn't that day.[4]
Reaching the old COG bunker, Mac opened the door for Scorpio and explained that it still had power because like the rest of Bravelle, they ran the power systems through their generator in the waterfall. Inside, Scorpio found out that the Swarm Hive had spread into the bay on the other side of the door.
Recognizing that they probably didn't have long, Scorpio donned their Adrenaline Injectors and Mac explained that the bunker went down ten sublevels. However, the Outsiders had looted the supplies from the first seven levels and never came across the Swarm so the Hive had to be deeper down. As Keegan wondered how long they would have to wait before the Swarm showed up, three Snatchers arrived. Scorpio then allowed themselves to be captured by the Snatchers.[4]
Podded by the Swarm, Mac dreamt of his son which Lahni and Keegan witnessed through their connection due to being connected to the Swarm Hivemind by the pods. Awakened by his injector, Mac cut himself loose as did Keegan and Lahni but was left consumed with memories of the deaths of his family and friends in the Swarm attack. Mac told Lahni and Keegan that they were all that he had left along with all of the pain he felt and Lahni told him they were going to do something about it. Keegan set their Venom Bombs and as they started to leave, declared that the destruction of the Hive would be for Dillon.
With their bombs set, Scorpio began fighting their way out of the Hive through the Swarm forces defending it. The Venom Bombs detonated and engulfed the Hive with its gas as Scorpio fought their way towards the surface. Scorpio successfully made it to the surface and slammed shut the door leading deeper into the bunker behind them. However, in the vehicle bay, they encountered a Warden.[5]
Although Scorpio quickly opened fire, they were unable to harm the Warden who struck at them with his Breaker Maces, sending Keegan and Mac flying. The Warden wounded Mac's leg and Keegan's chest when Keegan attempted to come to Mac's aid. As the Warden prepared to kill Mac, Lahni jumped on him from behind and stabbed the Warden in the neck with her Combat Knife, wounding him. Enraged, the Warden grabbed Lahni by the throat and held her in front of him as Keengan opened fire with a Snub Pistol and Lahni kept stabbing at the Warden.
Getting an idea, Mac ordered Keegan to keep the Warden busy and as the Swarm creature strangled Lahni, Keegan managed to shoot off the Warden's helmet and wound him in the mouth. Enraged, the Warden released Lahni and charged Keegan who continued firing and ordered her to get out of there. As the Warden got face to face with Keegan, he ran out of ammunition and was about to be killed by the Warden. However, Mac drove one of the Rat Trucks in the bay at the Warden, rammed him through the bunker wall, outside and into another wall below. Mac told the laughing Warden that he'd stolen Mac's life and that "his name was Dillon" before stabbing the Warden through the left eye through the truck's shattered window, killing him.
Lahni helped Mac out of the truck and reassured him that Mac got the Warden and saved her and Keegan's lives. Although Lahni didn't know how to feel about Mac being her personal hero,[6] he told her that they were even for Lahni saving him from his Pod when his injector failed on Pahanu.[2] All injured by their fight with the Warden, Scorpio helped each other limp away as the gas from the Venom Bombs emerged from the bunker, having completely destroyed the Swarm Hive.[6]
Mac led Lahni and Keegan to a garage where the car he and Amanda had rebuilt together was stored. Mac told the others that the car was largely responsible for Amanda leaving him and that Dillon was the only collaboration that they ever had any success with. Although Keegan considered the car a success from looking at it, Mac revealed that it was only a bucket of rust with an overhauled engine when Amanda stole it from him. While Mac could make things run, Amanda could make them look good. With a five mile drive back to Croya and an injured leg, Mac offered Lahni the chance to drive which led to Keegan complaining when she drove like a maniac.
Approaching Croya, Scorpio spotted Swarm still alive on the ridge and realized that destroying the Hive didn't kill the outside Swarm, thus proving wrong[6] Hana Cole's theory that destroying the Hive would kill all of the Swarm connected to it.[2] As a result, Lahni and Keegan knew that it meant that they would have to go after more Hives.
Mac drew the others attention to the Swarm Flock that they had previously escaped[3][4] approaching from behind. Stopping, Scorpio opened fire on the attacking Flock and managed to destroy it, completing their mission.[6] Team Scorpio was extracted by Tak in his King Raven Mark 2.
Aftermath[]
On the King Raven, Mac admitted that although he had expected to have some relief from destroying the Hive, it didn't really feel any different to him. Dillon was still gone but in all of the madness, Mac had found a way to hold him again where he was not just a memory anymore but alive, even for a moment. Mac informed the others that he intended to stay and continue helping Hoffman to destroy Hives because every time he did, Mac got to see his boy again. Mac asked Lahni and Keegan, all that he had left in the world, to stay and help him and they both agreed.[6]
References[]
- ↑ Gears: Hivebusters
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Gears of War: Hivebusters Part One
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Gears of War: Hivebusters Part Two
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Gears of War: Hivebusters Part Three
- ↑ Gears of War: Hivebusters Part Four
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Gears of War: Hivebusters Part Five
| Battles of the Swarm Invasion | ||
|---|---|---|
| 42 A.E. | Rescue of Fort Umson (Ambush of Fort Umson · Assault on the Stroud Estate · Mission to Fort Reval · Battle of Osmium Mine Bravo · Mission to the Tollen Dam · Skirmish in Speyer · Assault on the Tollen Dam) · Skirmish in the Wilds · Ambush on South Village · Mission to Fort Umson · Mission to Orzabal Crater · Mission to South Village · Mission to Azura Research Facility · Evacuation of Settlement 2 · Ambush of Bravelle · Ambush of Croya · Ambush of Holdstead Croft · Ambush of Five Pines · Ambush of Pasco's Village · Mission to Great Seran Rend · Skirmish on the Jacinto Plateau · Ambush of Riftworm Village · Second Mission to New Hope · Incursions in Kadar Valley · Mission to Mount Kadar Laboratory · Mission to OZP-11 · Battle of Old Ephyra · Skirmish in Pahanu · Hivebuster Offensive (Hivebust of Sanctum · Mission to Weilehi · Mission to the Wakaatu Nest · Hivebust of Pahanu · Mission to Croya · Hivebust of Bravelle) | |