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"Dalyell had always been very cagey about their existence and origin. Prescott had been kept out of the loop: it had suited him not to know about mutated humans, poisoned humans, but it was a gap he now needed to fill. All he could do when he took office was keep the New Hope facility quarantined and hope he never had to open the lid."
—Chairman Richard Prescott's knowledge of the Sires.[1]

Sires were human chimeras mutated by Imulsion-poisoning and genetic experimentation as children, and were forefathers to the Locust. These children were descendants of Imulsion miners during the early Pendulum Wars and afflicted with Rustlung, caused by overexposure to Imulsion fumes. They were brought to the New Hope Research Facility by the COG Department of Health under the Monroe Administration for treatment. Geneticist Doctor Niles Samson was tasked with finding a cure. Xenotransplantation and transgenics were used to mutate the children with the DNA of creatures from the Hollow, transforming them into what he called the "Sires" - highly aggressive, uncontrollable, and genetically unstable chimeras.

Due to moral objections and attacks by the Sires, many staff members resigned and leaked New Hope's information to the public. The facility was shut down by Chairman Monroe and indicted all that were involved. A fringe political syndicate within the Monroe Administration believed in Samson's work and transferred his remaining loyal staff and dozens of the Sires to a secret facility inside the caves of Mount Kadar where he continued his research. The DNA of the Sires were combined with the embryonic stem cells of Myrrah, a child genetically immune to Imulsion's ill-effects, to create the Locust. All information on the Sires is classified, passed down from former to current head of the Coalition, and rarely investigated.[2]

History[]

Pendulum Wars[]

New Hope Research Facility[]

During the Era of Silence, humanity exhumed almost all natural fuel sources and was facing a massive energy crisis. However, Dr. Helen Cooper discovered that Imulsion could be used as a fuel source through the Lightmass Process. Sera arrived in the Gold Rush era as humanity began to mine for Imulsion. Most of the natural Imulsion reserves resided in the countries of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Due to their now economic growth, the Coalition became the political world superpower. This led to the Union of Independent Republics to wage the Pendulum Wars in order to gain the occupation of Imulsion reserves. In the early Pendulum Wars, unknown to the general population, those exposed to Imulsion fumes began to suffer from Imulsion poisoning known as Rustlung. The Imulsion miners were the most affected and the children born of the Imulsion miners were born with deformities and Imulsion sickness as well. The Coalition, wanting to capitalize on Imulsion and not face reparations for its health effects commissioned the New Hope Research Facility under the Department of Health by the Monroe Administration. Built to be disguised as Jameson Depot, the facility was built to house the infected children as prisoners and attempt to find a cure.

The Director of the facility, Dr. Niles Samson was tasked with finding a cure for Rustlung. As he began to inject Imulsion doses in the children and study its effects, he began to realize that Imulsion could cause point mutations, leading Niles to believe that he could not only cure Rustlung, but evolve the human race into an immortal and superior species. During his research, it became apparent that one of the children, Myrrah, was immune to Imulsion and began to benefit from the exposure such as aging 50% the rate of a normal human. Niles believed that he could replicate the results and transfer her immunity to the other children, but failed. Niles looked to the indigenous creatures of the Hollow, who he believed were resistant to Imulsion. Using the DNA of the indigenous creatures, he began cross-species genetic experimentation by splicing their DNA with the children's, mutating them into the Sires. The Sires became distempered and sterile, ultimately genetically unstable.

As the research continued, the staff members suffered from attacks by the Sires. Due to this and becoming disillusioned by the unethical experimentation, several employees resigned and leaked information regarding the facility. Chairman Monroe became aware about these experiments and ordered the facility to be shut down with Niles and all involved to be indicted. However, a fringe political group within the Monroe Administration believed that Samson's work could end Rustlung and the Pendulum Wars, offering him a secret facility in Mount Kadar to finish his work. Niles believed in saving the children and he arranged for his loyal scientists, Myrrah and a portion of the Sires to be relocated to Mount Kadar without the use of transport vehicles, having to walk to Mount Kadar during the night and in the snow. The remainder of the Sires were left in stasis tanks and protected by a semi-sentient security system AI based off Niles' personality. The facility was shut down and the Sires are left in stasis. All matters were classified and only known by the Chairman of the Coalition.

Mount Kadar Laboratory[]

Niles was successful in relocating his research to the secret facility inside Mount Kadar. There, he continued his work on improving the Sires to make them fertile and controllable. Niles discovered that Myrrah's stem cells were highly complementary to Sire DNA and began combining Sire DNA with her embryonic stem cells. After many failures, the Sire-Human hybrid was completed with the creation of the Matriarch, the first known Berserker which held a psychomagnetic bond with Myrrah, allowing her to control the Matriarch. Niles was able to create the first Locust Drone which was finally able to reproduce and could be controlled by Myrrah and amplified through the Matriarch. After this discovery, the remaining Sires were left in stasis at the facility as Niles continued his research on the Locust Horde and Myrrah.

Over time, the Locust desired independence and Myrrah thought of them as her children and protected them with maternal instinct. One of the geneticists, Dr. Torres began having relations with Myrrah and the two conceived a daughter, Reyna. It was discovered that Reyna inherited Myrrah's psychomagnetic magnetic link to the Locust Hivemind. Fearful about the possible experimentation of his daughter, Dr. Torres escaped with Reyna from the facility. Unable to recapture her, Dr. Samson lied to Myrrah that Reyna died during the escape attempt. Distraught and vengeful, Myrrah used her connection with the Locust Horde to rebel against the scientists in the facility and killed them all, including Niles. She led the Locust as their Queen and brought them out of the facility and deep underground Mount Kadar where they would build their civilization, Nexus, and become an independent race.

As the Locust continued to live in the Hollow, they developed a religion known as the Trinity of Worms that worshiped the Riftworms. In their religion, the Sires were revered as "holy incubators"[3] that were evolved from the Riftworms. However, the Locust were not immune to the Imulsion as Niles had hoped. Eventually, the Locust were faced with Imulsion sickness in the form of Lambency, in which Imulsion would possess the host and attempt to kill and infect other non-infected organisms. Queen Myrrah sought the assistance of human scientist, Professor Adam Fenix, but when he was unable to stop the Lambent without harming the Locust Horde due to their history with Imulsion, Queen Myrrah ordered her armies to invade the surface and kill all humans so they could colonize the surface and escape from the Lambent.

Locust War[]

Assassination of Ukkon[]

Ukkon, a Sire who had retained his intelligence and gained regenerative abilities from ingesting Imulsion, became the resident geneticist of the Locust Horde -- a monster who made monsters. As a result, Chairman Richard Prescott assigned Sgt. Gabriel Diaz to assassinate Ukkon in order to keep him from creating anything worse. During the operation, the truth behind Ukkon's origins came out thanks to Major Sid Redburn who was once a guard at the New Hope Research Facility. Sid's knowledge of Ukkon from his time at the facility enabled him to create Cytostatic Gas, Ukkon's one weakness, so that he could be killed.[4]

Study of Lambency[]

While Lambent specimens such as Lambent Wretches and Lambent Drones appeared on the surface and fought along the Locust during the Locust War, the Coalition was unaware of their impeding situation with Imulsion and Lambency, except for Professor Adam Fenix. In Frost 10 A.E., the Locust Horde finally emerged in what was once thought impenetrable Jacinto Plateau and assaulted the COG capital of Ephyra. Professor Fenix's assistant, Nevil Estrom, had discovered Professor Fenix's preexisting knowledge of the Locust and Lambent before Emergence Day and reported it to Chairman Richard Prescott. Prescott then ordered the Onyx Guard to fake Professor Fenix's death and relocate him to Azura, a secret island bunker research facility where he could continue to work against the Lambent.

Once Professor Fenix arrived, he was put to work with helping the scientists at Azura find a countermeasure for Imulsion and Lambency. Upon an initial request, Chairman Prescott approved of declassifying the files of Dr. Niles Samson, New Hope, and Sires for Professor Fenix's research. However, when it was also requested by the scientists to procure a Sire to study Imulsion toxicity in live humans, Prescott denied their request. As with every Chairman, Prescott was briefly informed by previous, late Chairman Tomas Dalyell about New Hope and the Sires, and that Prescott's sole purpose was to seal and quarantine the New Hope facility for as long as he could. He also relayed that they lost track of Dr. Samson and the other subjects he took when he vanished, making it impossible to study a Sire, but instead pardoned prisoner William Alva to be tested on for Imulsion studies.

Operation: Hollow Storm[]

Sires-edit--article image

A Sire breaking out of its stasis tank.

"Those are irreplaceable specimens… …a genetic bridge to our future."
—AI Niles Samson explaining the Sires' purpose.

Following the Lightmass Offensive in 14 A.E., it was believed the Locust War was over, until the following six months when the Locust reemerged to launch devastating attacks on Jacinto City and other cities on the Jacinto Plateau before finally sinking them with a large Riftworm. Fearing Jacinto City, humanity's last safe place, would be the next city destroyed - the Coalition launched thousands of soldiers into the Inner Hollow without proper intel in the hopes the soldiers would happen across it. However, the initial wave was a monumental failure despite the destruction of the Riftworm.

Desperate, Chairman Prescott finally declassified the intel file on New Hope and ordered Delta-One to find the New Hope Research Facility and search for potential leads on where Niles Samson relocated the subjects as well as possible intel on the Locust Queen. Delta, comprised of Sgt. Marcus Fenix, Cpl. Dominic Santiago, Pvt. Augustus Cole, and Cpl. Damon Baird, then arrived at the New Hope facility. After gaining accesses to inner labs, Delta discovered that the Sires were still inside their tanks. Upon breaching Niles Samson's security systems, Delta learned that Niles relocated his subjects to the caverns of Mount Kadar. While investigating, the Sire's stasis tanks were accidentally activated and multiple Sires fell upon Sgt. Fenix and Cpl. Santiago. The two Gears are able to get past the Sires and shut the security systems down in New Hope.

The Gears then deployed at Mount Kadar and assaulted the underground capital of Nexus, but were unable to kill the Queen. Upon learning of the Queen's plans, advised by Professor Adam Fenix, to sink Jacinto City in order to flood the Hollow and kill the Lambent, the COG decided to preemptively sink Jacinto City and flooded the Hollow to kill both the Lambent and Locust Horde before they were able to evacuate. The surviving Locust remained on the surface until 17 A.E., when Professor Fenix launched the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon - in which the Imulsion they had been carrying in their genetics since the Sires expelled from their DNA and crystallized their skin to form a cocoon in order to evolve the Locust Horde.

Swarm Invasion[]

Return to the New Hope Facility[]

After returning to the New Hope Research Facility in 42 A.E., Kait Diaz and Delmont Walker found the Sires still alive in stasis tanks in the facility ruins. Having since learned some of the truth about what they were, Marcus Fenix warned the two to be especially careful just as last time, the Sires are "moody." The facility suffered a chemical purge at the hands of the Niles AI and it was unknown if any of the Sire test subjects survived.[5]

Mission to Mount Kadar Laboratory[]

At the Mount Kadar Laboratory, the two discovered even more Sires in stasis tanks along with Niles' other surviving test subjects. The Niles AI at the facility explained the history behind the creation of the Sires. After betraying the two, Niles released the Sires from their stasis tanks alongside the Locust Drones, but they were all killed by Kait and Del.[6]

Legacy[]

The encounter with the Sires led to another "disagreement" with Chief of the COG Defense Staff, Colonel Hoffman and Chairman Richard Prescott on how Prescott kept secrets from Hoffman about the Sires and New Hope.[7]

Notable Sires[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Sire2

Sires concept art.

  • The conceptual idea of the Sires were compared to real world Neanderthals, a genetic ancestor to humans. Like the Neanderthals, the copulation of Sires with humans led to the birth of a new race.
  • Concept art for the Sires revealed they originally were meant to leak Imulsion from their nose, mouth, and eyes.
  • The word sire is defined as "the male parent of an animal" - which is appropriate given that Sire DNA (presumably a male's) was combined with Myrrah's embryonic stem cells to create the Locust Horde.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Gears of War: The Slab pg 192
  2. Gears of War: The Slab pg 139-141
  3. Gears of War: The Rise of RAAM Part Two
  4. Gears Tactics
  5. Gears 5: Forest for the Trees
  6. Gears 5: Dirtier Little Secrets
  7. Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant
Hollow and Enemy Creatures
Locust Horde
Queen
Berserker (Matriarch) · Boomer (Butcher, Flame Boomer, Grinder, Mauler, Mauler Elite, Savage Boomer, Tremor) · Drone (Beast Rider, Bolter, Cyclops, Disciple, Flame Drone, Grappler, Gunner, Miner, Savage Drone, Savage Hunter, Savage Marauder, Sniper, Spotter) · Grenadier (Flame Grenadier, Grenadier Elite, Hunter, Hunter Elite, Savage Grenadier, Savage Grenadier Elite, Ravager) · Kantus (Armored Kantus, Savage Kantus, Zealot) · Rager · Sire · Theron (Cleaver Theron, Palace Guard, Savage Theron, Theron Elite, Theron Sentinel)
Hollow Creatures
Bloodmount · Brumak · Corpser (Shibboleth) · Digger · Gas Barge · Heart Leech · Kraken · Kryll · Leviathan · Mangler · Nemacyst (Ink Grenade) · Nemacyte · Reaver (Assault Barque, Hydra) · Riftworm · Rockworm · Rock Shrew · Seeder · Serapede · Siegebeast · Tempest (Shrieker) · Ticker · Torture Barge · Wretch
Lambent
Imulsion
Former · Lambent Berserker · Lambent Brumak · Lambent Bull · Lambent Dog · Lambent Drone (Lambent Drudge) · Lambent Grenadier · Lambent Gunker · Lambent Leviathan · Lambent Polyp · Lambent Stalk · Lambent Theron · Lambent Wretch
Swarm
Queen
Canker · Carrier · DeeBees (Bastion, Reject, Stump) · Drone (Elite Drone, Grenadier, Elite Grenadier, Hunter, Elite Hunter, Imago, Sniper, Elite Sniper) · Flock (Leech) · Hive Beast · Juvie (Screamer, Popper) · Kraken · Locust (Drone · Matriarch · Sire) · Scion (Armored Scion, Heavy Scion, Scion Elite, Warden) · Snatcher (Pouncer) · Swarmak
DeeBees
DR-1 · Shepherd (Deadeye) · Tracker (Shock Tracker) · Watcher (Guardian, Sentinel)
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