The Mission to East Barricade Academy was a mission during the Lightmass Offensive to find mapping data of the Hollow at Haldane Hall in East Barricade Academy. Haldane Hall, otherwise known as Fenix Estate, was the childhood home of mission leader, Sgt. Marcus Fenix, and his father, weapons scientist, Professor Adam Fenix. Unknown to most, Professor Fenix had been studying the Locust and had planted Geobots in the Hollow to map their tunnels in a three-dimensional, holographic map. The mapping data was needed for the Lightmass Bomb to deliver the most destruction to the Locust stronghold in the heart of the Hollow. It was also a rescue mission, as one of the two King Ravens escorting Delta-One was shot down. After the rescue and navigating EBA, Delta-One was met by Locust forces defending the estate and was ambushed by additionally waves of Locust following successfully the retrieval of Professor Fenix's tunnel data. Delta-One was able to escape with the tunnel data and continue with the mission.
Prelude[]
In order to deliver maximum results of destruction in the heart of the Hollow using the Lightmass Bomb, it was required to make a three-dimensional map of the Outer Hollow and Loucst tunnels to pinpoint the center via Sonic Resonator. Delta-One was ordered to take the Sonic Resonator into the mines of the Lethia Imulsion Facility and activate it. However, the Hollow proved to be too big and complex to be completely mapped by one device. However, Cpl. Damon Baird, who had been collecting Geobots found in the facility and mines in order to repair their broken transport, Laverne, discovered that each Geobot contained a three-dimensional holographic map of a portion of the Hollow. Lt. Stroud revealed that the Geobot showed more tunnel data than the Resonator, and that presumably all the Geobots combined a three-dimensional map already. Lt. Stroud triangulated the programmer and source to Professor Adam Fenix at Haldane Hall of East Barricade Academy in Ephyra. In need of the mapping data, Col. Hoffman ordered Delta-One to retrieve the data from the Fenix Estate. Uzil RAAM overheard this intelligence from a POW and ordered a large army to defend East Barricade and Haldane Hall.
Order of Battle[]
Search and Rescue[]
Delta-One arrived in Ephyra aboard KR Six-Four and escorted by KR Two-Five, en route to Haldane Hall. However, upon arriving at East Barricade Academy, a swarm of Nemacysts took down KR Two-Five and threatened KR Six-Four. Cpl. Damon Baird took to the side chain-gun to defend the Raven, but KR Six-Four aborted their flight and landed in the campus courtyard of East Barricade Academy. Upon landing, KR Six-Four took shots from the ground Locust forces, warning Delta-One of the hot land-zone. KR Six-Four then dropped Delta-One off to recon Timgad City, where it was later shot down in Nassar Memorial Park.
Delta-One, within the campus courtyard, were ambushed by Snipers, Elite Drones, Theron Guards, and Boomers. After eradicating the ground Locust forces, Sgt. Fenix alerted Control for advisement after the first drop-zone was aborted. Lt. Stroud advised Delta-One that there were survivors at Two-Five's crash site by R.L. Sterling Conservatory. The mission briefly turned into a rescue mission for KR Two-Five. Lt. Stroud then advised Delta-One to either take the streets or maneuver through the academy buildings. Sgt. Fenix then split up Delta-One with Pvt. Cole and Pvt. Santiago with Cpl. Baird to go both directions. Locust forces were found in both the academy hall and the streets of EBA.
After neutralizing both areas, Delta-One found a Seeder within the courtyard, one of two in the area that caused KR Two-Five's crash. Using the Hammer of Dawn, Delta-One was able to destroy the first Seeder. An Emergence Hole opened in the courtyard, and all enemies were eliminated. Delta-One then continued and rendezvoused in the streets. After eliminating the enemy threat, Delta-One found KR Two-Five's crash site - as Stranded began to scrap the site and attempt to loot the wounded Gears. Pvt. Santiago ordered the Stranded to leave, and Sgt. Fenix called in evac for the wounded. Cpl. Baird and Pvt. Cole volunteered to stay behind and protect the wounded Gears while Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago continued.
Traversing East Barricade Academy[]
Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago continued down the streets and determined to pass through the R.L. Sterling Conservatory. Upon reaching the main entrance, JACK was ordered to rip open the sealed door. Meanwhile, the Locust launched an assault by two Emergence Holes of Drones, Wretches, and Boomers. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago were able to repel the forces until JACK opened the door into the conservatory. Upon entry, Cpl. Baird radioed in that the wounded Gears were picked up and that they were headed on their own way to Fenix Estate.
Inside the conservatory, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago noticed the lack of Locust presence or even sound. Upon reaching the atrium of the greenhouse, a Berserker suddenly entered the area. Facing a dead-end with no outdoor skies available, Sgt. Fenix used the Berserker to knock down the pillars that held up the conservatory's glass ceiling. One of the pillars landed on the adjacent wall and offered an opening to escape. Before doing so, Sgt. Fenix used the Hammer of Dawn and the recently open sky to kill the Berserker. Using the water pumps, Sgt. Fenix was able to put out the fire and the two were able to escape the conservatory.
After escaping the conservatory, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago continued through the remainder of East Barricade's campus to Haldane Hall. Passing through an empty courtyard, the two had to pass a hall with three individual quads. The first quad contained a Troika and several guarding Drones. After Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago eliminated the threat above, several Emergence Holes opened in the quad and released several more Drones and Wretches. After neutralizing the threat, they continued into the second quad. There, they were ambushed by Drones, Therons, Boomers, and Wretches - as well as an aerial attack from Nemacysts. After defending against the ambush, they continued on to the third quad to discover that the Seeder who had been delivering the Nemacysts was somehow killed.
After passing through the last quad, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago found themselves in a residential area, additionally ambushed by Therons, Drones, and Boomers. Navigating the area and eliminating the local threat, Delta was cut off by a collapsing riverwalk, with the bridge overlooking it defended by a manned Troika. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago then flanked the area by traversing through a cemetery and reaching the bridge to eliminate the Troika and defending Drones. More Therons were in the area, as they approached closer to Haldane Hall. After eliminating the squad of Therons, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago continued on the riverwalk and reached the main gate to the entrance of the front courtyard to Haldane Hall.
Arriving at Haldane Hall[]
Upon arriving at the stair entrance to Haldane Hall, Sgt. Fenix radioed Cpl. Baird to inform him of their arrival. Cpl. Baird copied and agreed to meet in the courtyard, but warned of a large Locust presence in the estate. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago were then attacked by a squad of Theron Guards, Drones, and Boomers guarding the estate. After traversing the staircase and eliminating the guarding Locust, Delta regrouped in the courtyard - only to be fired at by Locust from within the house. Lt. Stroud alerted Delta of a sizable Locust presence inside the estate. Cpl. Baird revealed that there was a broken APC behind the estate, and given the parts and time available, he was certain to be able to fix it. Sgt. Fenix ordered Cpl. Baird to keep fixing at the APC with Pvt. Cole covering him in the backyard while he and Pvt. Santiago enter the estate and retrieve his father's tunnel data. Cpl. Baird and Pvt. Cole complied and went to the backyard while Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago eliminated the scouting Drone.
Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago entered the estate. Upon entrance, an Emergence Hole opened in the west wing of the house. After defending against the Locust troops emerging, the Hole collapsed. Possibly due to a gas line being broken, the Emergence Hole caused a large fire in the west wing. Upstairs, stationed Locust opened fire while Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago fought from the other side of the banister. After neutralizing the Locust threat in the main part of the estate, Cpl. Baird gave a status report on the APC, to which Sgt. Fenix ordered him to continue fixing it. Surmising his father's laboratory must be near his office, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago returned to the first floor and went to the east wing where his office was located. However, more tremors occurred and an additional Emergence Hole opened in the east wing. The two eliminated the threat and found Professor Fenix's office. Down the hall from his private office was a barred entrance to the wine cellar. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago entered the wine cellar, where they were met a few Locust Drones trying to also locate the laboratory. Reaching the end of the wine cellar, Delta-One reached a dead end. Meanwhile, Cpl. Baird reported that he fixed the APC and came back to defend the house.
Locating Fenix's Laboratory[]
In the wine cellar, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago were unable to locate the laboratory until Sgt. Fenix noticed a loose wine rack in the far corner of the room. Pushing on the wine rack, it rolled into the wall and revealed the sealed entrance to Professor Adam Fenix's laboratory. Sgt. Fenix attempted to open the door, to no prevail, and ordered JACK to rip it open. While JACK worked on the door, the Locust Horde began their second ambush on the estate. Locust forces emerged in the wine cellar and attacked in three waves of Locust Drones and Wretches. After eliminating the Locust, JACK was able to open the door to the lab. Upon entering, power was restored to the lab and Sgt. Fenix ordered JACK to find his father's terminal and locate the tunnel data. Connecting to Command and Lt. Stroud, JACK pulled up the tunnel data. To the horror of Lt. Stroud and Command, the tunnels were more expansive than they originally thought as Sera's crust was revealed to be honeycombed with Locust tunnels. Sgt. Fenix requested a download of the data onto JACK, but Lt. Stroud revealed the file was too big for its bandwidth. Sgt. Fenix had JACK form a data disk to insert into the Lightmass Bomb. Lt. Stroud complied but warned it would take a while for JACK to transfer the data.
Evacuating East Barricade[]
While waiting, Cpl. Baird and Pvt. Cole were at the front of the house on the second floor defending the estate from the invading Locust and requested for assistance. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago complied and returned upstairs as the west wing was almost completely ablaze. Cpl. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago regrouped with Cpl. Baird and Pvt. Cole on the second floor overlooking the front courtyard through a massive hole in the façade. Cpl. Baird requested that Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago secure the house while he and Pvt. Cole defend the APC until JACK finished downloading the data. After returning to the APC, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago defended the house. A Boomer with a battering ram destroyed the front doors and allowed Locust troops to enter the estate. A group of Drones, Therons, and Boomers entered the Fenix Estate, in which Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago were able to eliminate them. However, more Locust troops were attacking from inside the estate. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago attempted to enter the inner courtyard, but the door was blocked. Upon flanking through the attic space, they discovered the doors were blocked with planks and that an Emergence Hole was opened. Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago eliminated the Drones and Emergence Hole in the inner courtyard and destroyed the planks on the door. The two returned downstairs and went through the inner courtyard.
Lt. Stroud informed Delta that JACK had finished retrieving the data and was returning to the rear courtyard. In the back of the house, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago were met by Drones, but were able to eliminate them. Entering the courtyard, the APC was at the far end with Cpl. Baird starting the engine. As Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago began to cross the courtyard, two Boomers appeared and an Emergence Hole opened in the courtyard. Meanwhile, a Brumak arrived from the east wing of the estate and was headed towards the APC. With little time left, Sgt. Fenix and Pvt. Santiago fought their way through the two Boomers and squad of Locust troops from the Emergence Hole in the courtyard, while being covered by Cpl. Baird and Pvt. Cole. Shortly after, the Brumak arrived in the rear courtyard. Delta then retreated into the APC while JACK hurried to regroup with Delta. Unable to wait, Sgt. Fenix began to drive the APC down the road as the Brumak chased them. JACK was able to catch up with the APC and station itself within its own rear compartment of the vehicle. The Brumak fired a blast of rockets at the APC, but missed. As the APC drove through the tunnel, the Brumak was cut off.
Aftermath[]
Delta Squad was successfully able to retrieve the tunnel data from JACK and managed to escape Haldane Hall and the Brumak. Delta would then be directed into the neighboring city of Timgad where Delta is to board a train, the Tyro Pillar, at Timgad Station, on which the Lightmass Bomb is located and to be deployed on. Arriving in East Timgad, Delta had to cross Timgad Bridge into West Timgad where the train station was, however, the draw bridge was up and the electricity out. Forcing Delta to repair the bridge.