Laverne was a stripped down version of the COG Armadillo used by the Stranded. Stripped of most of its armor and standard weaponry, the Junker was instead outfitted for the needs of the Stranded.
History[]
How and when Laverne was acquired is unknown. The Stranded armed the APC with a UV Turret to take care of Kryll, which infested the streets of Ephyra at night.
The vehicle has obviously been used often and has been worn out because of that. Its power source is only able to supply power to either the UV Turret or the engine, but not both simultaneously. Owned originally by Franklin, the vehicle was later given by him to the members of Delta Squad, who also had a use for the vehicle during the Lightmass Offensive.
Lightmass Offensive[]
Laverne's UV light can kill Kryll.
Laverne was parked at Chap's Gas Station, which Sgt. Marcus Fenix and Cpl. Dominic Santiago had to navigate to in order to reach the Lethia Imulsion Facility, and thus the Hollow, without being consumed by the ravenous Kryll. Kept by Chap at his gas station until the Gears' arrival, the vehicle was kept unfueled, as Chap had never expected Marcus and Dom to reach the gas station alive. Whilst being fueled, Marcus, Dom, and Chap had to defend the Junker and the station from an oncoming Locust attack. A fierce firefight ensued, resulting in the deaths of many Locust, including two Boomers, and the escape of the trio in the old, beaten up vehicle.
Junker concept art.
On the way to retrieve Pvt. Augustus Cole and Cpl. Damon Baird at Franklin's Outpost, the Junker's UV turret proved to be an effective weapon in killing the swarming Kryll. They arrived with Laverne at Franklin's Outpost in the nick of time to save several Stranded, Baird, and Cole as they were being "screwed to the wall". Later, after the shootout at the outpost, it was used by Delta Squad to get to the Imulsion facility where Delta Squad was going to finally reach the Hollow. The Junker's fuel tanks caught on fire, rendering the vehicle useless just as they arrived. Though Baird said he could repair it if they found the right parts, Laverne was abandoned outside the facility as Delta used a King Raven to leave rather than the Junker.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Laverne is the only vehicle in Gears of War which the player actually gets to control. Three other human vehicles are seen in game, but they are not controllable by the player. These come in order of appearance: King Ravens, an APC and the Tyro Pillar. Similarly, the player can only control a Centaur Tank in Gears of War 2 and a Gas Barge, after a fashion, in Gears of War 3.
- Laverne also has a radio, which is heard in a cutscene during Act 2, Chapter 8. Baird turns on the radio, blasting Latin-sounding music, but is prompted by Marcus to "turn that shit off".