The Liberation of Jilane,[4] Second Battle of Jilane or the Mission to Jilane was a COG search and rescue mission for the survivors of the Jilane Massacre after a beacon was detected coming from the city.
Order of Battle[]
Jilane under siege
Preparation and the Fall of Jilane[]
Four months before the mission, the city of Jilane fell to an overwhelming Locust force, leaving the city and it's civilian population at the mercy of the Horde. It was a major lost for the COG since a birthing farm was located in Jilane. Coalition High Command presumed that all of the women and children were killed until a Beacon was detected in the heart of the city. Col.Victor Hoffman ordered Delta-One along with Cpl.Damon Baird and Pvt.Augustus Cole of Sigma-One and Sgt.Alex Brand of Foxtrot to investigate the beacon and rescue any survivors.[5]
Entering the city[]
Baird drives the Gears to the city in PA-142 and they detected the signal coming from the farms. When they arrived, Sgt.Marcus Fenix split Delta up into two teams: Delta-One was Marcus, Baird and Alex while Delta-Two was Cpl.Dominic Santiago, Cole and Pvt.Jace Stratton. Delta-Two was to sweep in after Delta-One after a short time. The two teams only found evidence of the massacre and the horrors committed at the farms until Marcus, Baird and Alex were snuck up on by the Grievous Bodily Love.[5] Baird aimed his gun at the women and insulted them, causing one of them to open fire on the Gears. A short firefight took place and Marcus ordered Delta-One to surrender in order to prove to the women that they are not a threat or hostile. The women surrounded Delta-One as they threw their weapons down, but Delta-Two arrived and forced the GBL to stand down after they heard the firing from the birthing creche.[6]
Mutual Truce[]
After Marcus and Alex calmed everyone down, the women’s leader, Matron told the Gears who they are and how they survived in the city. Marcus told the women that they are there because a signal was activated from inside the city and asked if they are responsible. The women did not know what he was talking about and many of the women had mixed feelings dealing with the men of Delta. Marcus, Cole and Baird left to track the signal down while Alex, Jace and Dom stayed behind to help the women and children in case of trouble. Baird tracked the signal down and the Gears discovered another female survivor who appeared to be insane with the beacon. She activated the beacon in order to summon the "bugs". Cole looked out the window and discovered a large group of Locust heading for them.[6]
Under Siege[]
Marcus grabbed the beacon and threw it out the window, but they are still attacked. Alex used a device and picked the underground tremors up and alerted the women and children about the Locust coming. Alex and the other women led the children and staff into the main bunker for safety while fighting the Horde off while Dom and Camille headed off to find Jace and another member of the GBL, Thecelia. Marcus, Baird and Cole along with the insane girl tried to make their way back, but the radios are being jammed or had a poor signal. Jace and Thecelia are stopped right before having sex when they heard the ground rumbling and got attacked by the Tickers. Marcus, Baird and Cole got lost and got trapped in a garden of sorts where the GBL was growing food. The Locust had them outnumbered, but Alex and Annalisa rushed to go help them after they got the communications back online. After they are saved by Alex and Annalisa, they all rushed back to the bunker while still being chased by the Locust. Jace and Thecelia linked up with Dom and Camille, but Camille was killed by the Locust. The two groups reached the bunker at the same time and began to close it. Marcus saw a lost child in the hallway and went to save him, but was wounded by a Mauler who broke through the wall and punched him in the face, knocking him out[7] and killed the child.[3]
Baird in command[]
- "We’ve gotta get him! His heartbeat’s still pinging—He’s alive."
- —Dom’s failed plea for Baird to let him out of the bunker to save Marcus
With Marcus wounded and trapped outside the bunker, a Kantus led the Drones to set an ambush up in the hopes that the Gears would not leave him behind. While inside the bunker, the Gears and GBL debated whether to save Marcus or not. The GBL's priority was to get the children to safety while Delta-One, except for Baird wanted to attempt to rescue Marcus. Though Alex was a sergeant, she ceded command to Baird duo to the fact that he fought with Delta longer than she had. Baird called Control for three King Ravens and a casevac while telling Anya that Marcus would be okay. Cole was able to find Marcus on the security feed and see that he was still alive. Baird was able to see though the Locust plan and began to wonder if a Theron or a Kantus was leading the attack group. If the Locust commander was a Theron, he would be able to Torque the door open and have the Drones sent in. But if it was a Kantus, it would have unlimited supply of Drones at his disposal or the fear of sending the Tickers in. But, the insane women gave Baird a plan, let the Horde in and bottle neck them while looking weak in the hopes that they could defeat them without the Horde bringing heavier forces. Baird ordered the Gears to lose their armor and for Jace, Dom and Cole to shoot out the window in the hopes that the Horde would think that they are low on ammo while Alex frag tags the walls outside the door. Baird would try to escape from the bunker and kill the Locust commander while the women escape with the children. But, Baird had one more trick up his sleeve. He put the children on the communications so the Horde can hear their cries of help inside the bunker while they escape through a tunnel. The Mauler was able to break the door down and enter with a dozen Drones, but fell for the trap and was vaporized in seconds by the grenade. The Kantus sent a second wave in while the Gears tried to close the door, but the Kantus left cover to revive a wounded Drone, giving Baird, Alex and Annalisa a chance to kill him. With the death of the Kantus, Delta was able to retrieve Marcus and informed him about the dead boy. After leaving the bunker, Baird reminded the women that they have no choice in going back to Jacinto and their “ass” are “COG ASSETs”. This almost caused another firefight between the two groups, but the “debate” was dropped when the Locust reinforcements began to arrive in the form of a Corpser and several Reavers, leaving the Gears and civilians trapped inside Jilane.[3]
Matron's sacrifice[]
- "We make our stand here. Becoming slaves for your soldier factory is not an option."
- —Matron, leader of the GBL
With the arrival of the massive Locust army, Alex and Jace began trying to figure out a way that they could escape from the city. However, Matron and her followers refused to return to COG territory, not wanting to become “slaves”. Matron tried to withhold information that the GBL had vehicles, much to Marcus' dismay since they could have evacuated the city earlier. The Gears and women argued over the subject for another thirty minutes. Marcus was able to regain command over his squad from Baird and gave new orders out. The Gears will take the vehicles and escape from the city, taking the children and any women with them that wanted to go. But, Baird reminded him that Command ordered Delta to return all of the women to Jacinto. Marcus declared that he is changing the orders since he does not want any of his squadmates to be killed trying to follow High Command's orders. In the parking lot, the Gears found the three working vans and moved the children inside them with Dom reminding them to wear their seatbelts. While the children moved into the vans, Jace asked if Thecelia if she was coming too. With Marcus in the lead vehicle, he asked one last time if Matron and Annalisa are coming, but instead, they opted to be a distraction. They planned on setting a bomb off in the heart of the city in the hopes of wiping the Locust forces out in the city. While in the city tunnel, Marcus ordered a status update from the rest of the convoy and discovered that Alex and Baird stayed behind too. Alex tried to convince Matron to escape and promised her that she does not have to go back to Jacinto. However, when Baird appeared and tried to bring both women back to the COG, Matron told Annalisa to take him out. With Annalisa holding Baird at gun point, Alex was forced to shoot her in the shoulder, wounding her. Baird carried her out of the room, leaving Alex and Matron. Alex was unable to accept Matron's apology for being part of the COG birthing program, but acknowledged that she saved the children of Jilane. Baird and Alex are able to reach a van and drive out of the tunnel while Matron defended the control room until the bomb went off, killing her and all of the Drones inside the city. The van was able to escape from the fireball inside the tunnel and reunited with the rest of the convoy.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "Thanks for being one of the good ones."
- —Thecelia to Jace
With Delta-One able to locate the survivors of the Jilane massacre, the COG gained an unknown amount of fertile women and children that could become battle ready within a few years. It was a tactical victory for the COG while the Horde was able to destroy a human city, although resulting in a large number of casualties for the Locust.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Gears of War: Barren Issue Five
- ↑ http://liamsharp.deviantart.com/art/Gears-girls-132190391
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gears of War: Barren Issue Four
- ↑ Gears of War: Midnight
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gears of War: Barren: Issue One
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gears of War: Barren Issue Two
- ↑ Gears of War: Barren Issue Three