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"Guys, that sounded like there were dozens of em'. Hundreds. Like a... like a swarm."
Delmont Walker to Kait Diaz and JD Fenix, after an attack on their village

The Swarm Invasion, also called the Swarm War or Swarm Outbreak[1] was a planet-wide conflict between the Seran and Swarm races. At the end of the Locust War, on Victory Day, Professor Adam Fenix activated the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon, a targeted-radiation device that was aimed at destroying the cells colonized by Imulsion. The weapon vaporized the Lambent race and destroyed Imulsion, while the Locust Horde and creatures from the Hollow began to develop an impenetrable crystalline shell over their bodies. Unable to destroy the bodies, the surviving humans disposed of the Locust by dumping them underground in mass burial sites.

Twenty-five years later, in 42 A.E., the crystalline shells hatched and the evolved forms of the Locust Horde, known as Scions, emerged. Their survival and evolution when exposed to the Imulsion countermeasure was due to a genetic trait designed by their creator, Doctor Niles Samson, to be activated in order to ensure generational survival for the Locust. Lacking in numbers, the Locust Scions rebuilt their army by creating a bio-organism capable of transforming living beings into members of the Hivemind, called the Swarm. The Swarm began capturing humans and transforming them into soldiers for their army. Their goal was to finish what the Locust Horde had started on Emergence Day - to destroy the human race and colonize the surface of Sera as their own. The newly reformed Coalition of Ordered Governments and Outsiders began noticing the disappearances on both sides and discovered the Swarm, initiating the Swarm Invasion.

During the initial months, the Swarm were at a disadvantage by lacking a physical Queen. The consciousness of Queen Myrrah survived in the Hivemind long after her physical death and was able to guide the Swarm enough to find a vessel. The Swarm were successful in locating Myrrah's daughter, Reyna Diaz, and instilling her with Myrrah's consciousness - making Reyna the new Queen of the Swarm. Queen Reyna, growing the Swarm into more tactical and intelligent beings, led an assault on New Ephyra, but was barely defeated by the relaunched Hammer of Dawn. After the assault, a rogue COG operation - led by Colonel Victor Hoffman - developed a new tactical approach of fighting the Swarm by arming Gears with Venom Bombs and allowing themselves to be taken into the heart of the Hives where they detonate the bombs, thereby destroying the Hives from within, known as the Hivebuster Offensive.

Background[]

The origins of the Swarm coincided with the origins of the Locust Horde during the early Pendulum War-era. In an effort to cure Rustlung, Dr. Niles Samson created the Locust Horde by combining the embryonic stem cells of Myrrah which was a woman that was born with a genetic immunity to Imulsion and the DNA of the Sires that are mutated humans who are sick with Rustlung and they are spliced from the DNA of the Hollow Creatures by Dr. Niles Samson at the New Hope Research Facility. Due to unknown reasons, all of the Locust specimens and Myrrah are connected psychologically that was known as the Hivemind with Myrrah able to control the Locust. During their work at the Mount Kadar Laboratory, Niles Samson genetically designed the Locust to be able to quickly evolve in order to withstand generational conflict by hibernating and metamorphosing. Meanwhile, Myrrah had sexual relations with a scientist named Dr. Torres and gave birth to a female human child named Reyna who inherited her mother's connection to the Hivemind. However, Dr. Torres feared that the experimentation would be done to his daughter and he escaped from the facility with Reyna. Unable to recapture them, Niles Samson lied to Myrrah that Reyna was killed in the escape attempt.

In her grief, Myrrah grew a hatred of the humans and she took control of the Locust to slaughter all of the scientists in the lab before escaping. Becoming their leader, Queen Myrrah led the Locust deeper into the caverns of Mount Kadar and built their own civilization: Nexus. In time, the Imulsion began to infect the Locust that was known as Lambency and began a conflict between the Locust and their infected brethren. Queen Myrrah sought the help of a human scientist named Professor Adam Fenix to cure the Lambent. When he was unable to do so, Queen Myrrah led the Locust to invade the surface in order to destroy humanity and colonize the surface to escape from the Lambent. In 17 A.E., Professor Adam Fenix was successful in creating the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. The biological countermeasures could not work against the Lambent as the Imulsion would infect or evolve against it. Professor Fenix also could not avoid sparing the Locust from being harmed because their ancestors are the product of the Imulsion experimentation which resided in the Locust DNA. After launching the Countermeasure, the Locust did not vaporize like the Lambent. Instead, the Imulsion that was in their DNA emerged and crystallized from their skin by forming a cocoon shell over their bodies as they are designed to adapt and evolve against the measures. The humans are unable to destroy the crystallized bodies and they decided to bury the Locust in the mass graves.

In 42 A.E., the Locust shells that are placed in the mass graves began to hatch. The ones that emerged are the evolved Locust Drones that are called Scions. Since their hibernation, humanity rebuilt and grew substantially and began using automation that was called the DeeBees for their defense. Realizing that they are low in numbers, the Scions created a bio-organism that was called the Swarm. They began to build Hives from their burial sites and they created the creatures that are known as Snatchers to capture the humans and place them in Pods within the Swarm Hive. There, they would transform into soldiers for the Swarm that are birthed as Juvies and grow into Drones for the Swarm Army. Among the humans were two factions: The rebuilt Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Outsiders - which was the group that was formed from the Stranded who resented the Coalition and they chose to live outside the COG's jurisdiction. The Swarm that was led by the Scions began to capture the humans from both sides. This fueled the Outsider Movement which was a conflict between the two factions by believing the other to be kidnapping their people. While the Swarm continued to build their army, the Scions realized that they lacked a physical Queen as a Queen was needed for the Swarm to learn and grow. Unknown to the humans, Myrrah's consciousness survived within the Hivemind despite being killed by Sgt. Marcus Fenix, allowing her to potentially lead again, but she would need a physical vessel.

History[]

Emergence of the Swarm (42 A.E.)[]

Due to their connection, Myrrah discovered that her daughter named Reyna actually survived and she was the leader of an Outsider Village named Fort Umson. She commanded the de-facto leader which was the Speaker to ambush Fort Umson and capture Reyna alive. The Speaker captured Reyna and he brought her to the Swarm Hive that was located within the Tollen Dam. In the heart of the Hive, Reyna was connected to the Swarm physically as she was to be transformed into Myrrah's physical vessel and Queen of the Swarm. The Speaker also made sure that the premature disconnection would ultimately kill Reyna. However, Reyna's daughter named Kait Diaz led a rescue mission as she was accompanied by her friends and the Coalition of Ordered Governments, but she was too late. Reyna already began transforming, but she was able to be disconnected by Kait. The Swarm recovered her body and they continued to transform her, but they also began to set their sights on the next in line: Kait Diaz.

The survivors of Fort Umson: Kait Diaz, James Dominic Fenix and Delmont Walker returned to the Coalition in order to inform First Minister Mina Jinn about their new enemy in an intelligence summit. First Minister Jinn pardoned James Dominic Fenix and Delmont Walker and she reinstated them as Captain and Lieutenant of the Coalition Army. Their first mission was to recon the Orzabal Crater which was a Locust burial site that began experiencing activity. Upon arrival, it was discovered to be another Swarm Hive with First Minister Jinn convinced about their new enemy. Sgt. Marcus Fenix and Damon Baird believed that the next course of action would be to reactivate the Hammer of Dawn to easily destroy the Swarm Hives and give the Coalition a defense against the Swarm. It was rejected by First Minister Jinn due to being a survivor of the Hammer of Dawn Strikes. However, Sgt. Fenix and Baird led a mission to Azura to launch an abandoned prototype Hammer of Dawn satellite.

Meanwhile, the Swarm began to emerge and their presence became known to the public as they launched their attack on Settlement 2. The Coalition and DeeBees forces are brought to Settlement 2 to evacuate the civilians and fight the Swarm. During the battle, it was discovered that the Swarm could hijack the DeeBees and use them against the humans. The overall forces overwhelmed the COG and forced them to abandon Settlement 2. Before the last of the Coalition abandoned the Settlement, Cpt. James Fenix attempted to rescue an evacuation convoy that was being attacked by the Swarm by using the relaunched Hammer of Dawn. It was successful in killing the Swarm forces, but it went unstable and it began firing wildly by killing many civilians and Gears and injuring James himself. The Coalition pulled out of Settlement 2 and they began to fortify the rest of the Settlements and New Ephyra.

COG-Outsider Armistice (42 A.E.)[]

Following the attack on Settlement 2, Cpl. Kait Diaz believed in rescuing the remaining Outsider villages by taking and recruiting them to help fight the Coalition. In the following four months, Cpl. Diaz and Lt. Walker convinced the numerous Outsider villages to join the Coalition. First Minister Jinn offered asylum in the recently developed Settlement 6. However, since Reyna Diaz's apparent death, Cpl. Kait Diaz began to experience visions and nightmares of the Swarm, the Locust Horde and her family. Unknown to most, she also kept the amulet that belonged to her grandmother which contained the symbol of the Locust Horde. Meanwhile, First Minister Jinn also sent Cpt. James Fenix on classified missions with 1st Lt. Fahz Chutani.

By Frost, 42 A.E., Cpl. Diaz arrived at the Riftworm Village which was the last Outsider village to not join the Coalition in order to persuade them to join. Their leader was Cpl. Diaz's uncle named Oscar Diaz. Upon meeting with Chief Diaz, the village became under siege by the Swarm. While Sgt. Marcus Fenix, Cpt. James Fenix and 1st Lt. Fahz Chutani came to the rescue, Cpl. Kait Diaz was captured by a Snatcher. Inside the Snatcher, Cpl. Kait Diaz was connected to the Hivemind by Myrrah and she began to control the members of the Swarm by killing the villagers and her uncle. Cpl. Kait Diaz was released by Sgt. Marcus Fenix and Cpt. James Fenix. Her grief and fear forced her to admit that she had a connection with the Swarm and Locust. Sgt. Marcus Fenix felt that she could find answers by traveling north to the New Hope Research Facility where the Locust began.

Cpl. Kait Diaz traveled to the New Hope Research Facility as well as the Mount Kadar Laboratory to learn that the Locust are created from the Sires which are the human children who are sick with Rustlung and they are spliced with the DNA of the Hollow Creatures and Myrrah who was born with a genetic immunity to Imulsion. Cpl. Diaz also learned that a Hivemind was developed among the Locust and Myrrah and it was passed down to Myrrah's daughter named Reyna. Cpl. Diaz realized that she was the granddaughter of Myrrah and the target to become the next Queen of the Swarm. In an attempt to disconnect herself from the Hivemind, she discovered that Reyna was still alive and she allowed Myrrah's preserved consciousness to possess Reyna's body. While Cpl. Diaz disconnected herself from the Swarm, the Swarm received their Queen in Reyna. Knowing that the Swarm would only become smarter, stronger and deadlier with Reyna as their Queen, Cpl. Kait Diaz argued for the Hammer of Dawn to come back online to defend themselves from the upcoming threat.

Hammer of Dawn Counterattack (42 A.E.)[]

Damon Baird upon the further research on the files that he found at Azura during the original mission to reactivate the Hammer of Dawn discovered that the Union of Independent Republics managed to complete their version of the Hammer of Dawn shortly before the end of the Pendulum Wars, but they are denied access to launch by Premier Yori Deschenko in order for the UIR-COG Armistice to be completed and avoid another century of war. However, the UIR's Hammer of Dawn could only be used within the vicinity of the targeting beacons rather than remotely by the targeting laser and satellite. Damon Baird located the Hammer of Dawn satellites and beacons within a cosmodrome that was called OZP-11 in the red desert of Vasgar. Also in Vasgar was in an old friend of Damon Baird's named Garron Paduk who was a former UIR soldier who was the leader of the Nomads which was an independent group of Gosrani that was living in Vasgar. Damon Baird re-established the communications with Garron Paduk and he planned for their mission to retrieve the Hammer of Dawn.

Meanwhile, the Swarm began to grow stronger. Because the Swarm finally had their Queen, they are able to construct their own armor and weapons, evolve their critical and combative thinking and they acted more strategically with the guidance of Queen Reyna. Weeks after the Mount Kadar Incident, Cpl. Kait Diaz, Lt. Delmont Walker, Cpt. James Dominic Fenix and 1st Lt. Fahz Chutani arrived to Vasgar with Damon Baird and they met Garron Paduk at their base of operations: Vasgar Air International. They are instructed to complete the rocket for the satellites by returning the nosecone of the rocket from the Train Turntable to the UIR Rocket Hangar. Delta had to retrieve the Hammer of Dawn targeting beacons from the Cosmonaut Training Facility. Finally, Delta had to return the completed rocket to the UIR Turntable Launch Tower and launch the rocket. During the launch, Delta was attacked by a large and Riftworm-like creature that was called the Kraken. Delta was able to hold the Kraken off and escape from the facility before the rocket launched and incinerated the area. Queen Reyna witnessed the rocket taking off and she pressed forward her plan of action by invading New Ephyra.

Delta returned to New Ephyra where Damon Baird managed to hook the Hammer of Dawn satellites up. First Minister Jinn arrived to arrest Cpl. Kait Diaz and attempt to reintegrate her in the Swarm Hivemind to discover their secrets and a solution to end the war. Before anything could be done, the Swarm began the attack on New Ephyra by invading the surrounding area of the Old Ephyra ruins. Damon Baird ordered the placement of the Hammer of Dawn targeting beacons at the various locations throughout Old Ephyra. After placing all of the beacons, the Kraken emerged and it destroyed the three of them while Queen Reyna appeared and she murdered a member of Delta Squad. Cpl. Kait rendezvoused with the rest of her squad and they returned to the main wall of New Ephyra. The Kraken threatened the security of the wall, but JACK used itself as a targeting beacon to allow the Hammer of Dawn to destroy the Kraken. As the Kraken was destroyed, Old Ephyra was destroyed. Sgt. Fenix warned Cpl. Kait Diaz that Queen Reyna would return, but Cpl. Diaz advised that they would find her first and destroy the Swarm's "Nexus."

Hivebuster Offensive[]

Inspired by the success of Operation: Hollow Storm during the Locust War, Colonel Victor Hoffman suggested to First Minister Jinn an all-out assault on the Swarm Hives. First Minister Jinn rejected the proposal believing the DeeBees could help end the Swarm Invasion. Colonel Hoffman then went rogue and began to secretly form the Hivebusters, a task-force dedicated to infiltrating and destroying Swarm Hives from the inside.

References[]

  1. Gears 5: Kait Diaz's dialogue with Delmont Walker while Skiff riding in Act II
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)


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