- "That's them -the beast barges. That's where they're takin' people. I think they're torturing them in there."
- —Damon Baird explaining the Torture Barges to the rest of Delta-One
The Torture Barge, or Beast Barge, was a Hollow creature turned into a mobile prison. They first were known to the Serans, during Operation: Hollow Storm, being used as a prison for “Processed” Gears and Stranded. The beast barge was able to climb atop the ceilings in the Hollow to quickly transport prisoners for the processes.
Overview[]
The Torture Barge's superstructure was split into three primary decks: the boarding deck, the torture deck and the roof deck.
The boarding deck is the first deck used by Locusts and their prisoners to go onboard the Barge to be later processed. As this deck is hung beneath the creature, one elevator is used at the back of the deck to transport two personnel into the main torture deck.
The torture deck is the second level and the largest. This is where dozens upon dozens of human prisoners are sent to be processed either in prisons or in a Torture Pod. The torture deck has an inclining slope which leads to the roof deck.
The roof deck is the third level and is where a Troika Heavy Machine Gun is mounted at the back of the Barge. This is also where the Barge's control switch is located which prods the beast to its direct location.
History[]
Like most creatures inside the Hollow, the Beast Barge was enslaved by the Locust Horde, and used for processing.[1][2]
Operation: Hollow Storm[]
When the COG attacked the Hollows, hundreds of their soldiers were either captured or killed by the Locust. The survivors were processed and put aboard the torture barges and transferred across the Inner Hollows. Delta-One was able to hijack one of the Barges but found no prisoners, they later checked out another Barge they had collided with and discovered Tai Kaliso, who soon committed suicide, due to the torture inflicted on him at the hands of the Locust.
- "Take out that Barge!"
- —Marcus Fenix upon seeing a Beast Barge, atop a Brumak
When Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago returned to the Hollow on a hijacked Brumak, they found a Torture Barge that passed through and it was quickly brought down by the Brumak's rockets into a large lake of Imulsion.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Torture Barges are first seen in Act 2: Captivity after Dominic Santiago, Marcus Fenix, and Augustus Cole rescue Baird from captivity. The Beast Barge is an extremely large Locust transport creature and is a mix of flesh and machinery. It clings to the ceiling using its four enormous legs. It is used to transport Locust and captured humans from place to place throughout the Hollow and used to cross Imulsion lakes or rivers. It is armed with a turret that is operated by a Locust/Human passenger.
They can only be accessed by an elevator which drops out of the rear, usually carrying a Grinder intent on killing the player. This elevator takes players up to what appears to be a main holding area, which is a large room with coffin like cells lining the walls. Here there are two ramps which lead up to the top deck, where a majority of fighting takes place.
Appearances[]
- Gears of War 2 (First appearance)
- The Quickening
- Gears 5 (Multiplayer only)