Locust (Gears of War)

The Locust Horde is a race, or alliance of several races that, until Emergence Day, remained in the subterranean regions of Sera. The Locust Horde has decided its ultimate goal is the extermination of the human race down to every man, woman, and child, however, its reasons for doing have largely remained a mystery until the final day of the war. The Locust Horde consists of a common race of drones and all manner of sub-species and monstrosities. The Locust Horde exists in underground tunnels known as the Hollow, which is a short term used to describe the hollow portions of planet Sera. Locust technology seems to be largely reverse-engineered from human technology, such as ballistic firearms and computer terminals. However, they have been known to primarily use the Hollow's native animal life in place of vehicles.

History
During the Pendulum Wars, a series of conflicts between Sera's Human population over Immulsion, a medical research venture was carried out at the New Hope facility at the behest of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. The original intention of the project was to devise a cure for Rustlung, a terminal lung disease caused by long-term exposure to Immulsion (in actual fact, this was an early symptom of Lambency in Humans). However, the research took a dark turn when the scientists were instead commissioned to abandon their original objective to pursue a military-based agenda. Whilst the miners suffering Rustlung were effectively abandoned, their children were subjected to Immulsion-based experiments for the purpose of creating enhanced soldiers for the Pendulum Wars, but were instead mutated into mindless beasts known as Sires. When the COG discovered what the New Hope scientists were doing, they seized the facility, apprehended them and shut the project down. However, a fringe political party saw potential in these experiments and commissioned the head researcher to continue his work, relocating the project to Mount Kadr to remain hidden from the COG.

In this new facility, the researchers discovered that one of their test subjects, a young woman called Myrrah, did not become a Sire and even demonstrated an immunity to the effects of Immulsion. The researchers harvested her stem cells and spliced them with the genetic coding of Sera's native wildlife, cloning a hulking beast referred to as the Matriarch, with which Myrrah shared a mental connection with. The Matriarch later birthed a new race of reptilian humanoids compelled to obey her; the first Locust. During this time, Myrrah entered a relationship with one of the scientists and even had a daughter with him, whom they named Reyna. When the rest of the researchers discovered this, the scientist fled with the child. In order to keep Myrrah docile, the rest of the research team lied to Myrrah, claiming that her lover and daughter were both killed in their attempted escape. Rather than submit back to their authority, Myrrah became enraged. Through the Matriarch, Myrrah orchestrated a mass breakout of the Locust, slaughtering everyone in the facility and escaping deep underground, although the Matriarch was unable to escape.

Rejecting her humanity, Myrrah led the Locust as they built their civilisation underground, growing in numbers and power as they assembled their subterranean city of the Nexus and tamed Sera's wildlife. Although the loss of the Matriarch eliminated the hive mind of the Locust, they remained loyal to Myrrah, revering her as their queen. For many years, Humans and Locust lived in complete ignorance of one another, separated by Sera's planetary crust and Myrrah's contempt for the former. However, the Locust suffered a devastating outbreak of Lambency, the inherent presence of Immulsion in their genome rendering them extremely susceptible to its mutagenic effects. With growing pressure from the Lambent's rampage and her inner circle, Myrrah eventually decided that the Locust's last hope was to invade the surface, destroy Human civilisation and rebuild their own in its place and leave the Lambent underground. This plan was delayed when the Locust were discovered by the COG scientist, Professor Adam Fenix. After learning of the Locust's plight, He convinced Myrrah to delay their emergence to the surface while he developed a countermeasure to the threat of the Lambent, to which she agreed. Unfortunately, the ongoing Pendulum Wars kept Adam distracted from his promise, diverting his attention to ventures such as the Hammer of Dawn satellite laser rather than his Lambency cure. Eventually deciding her people couldn't wait any longer, Myrrah allowed the Locust Horde to invade the surface, killing countless Humans in what became known as Emergence Day.

The war between Humanity and the Locust raged for 15 years, with countless lives lost on both sides. The COG drastically lost much of its public support when it resorted to using the Hammer of Dawn against the Locust, destroying their own cities and people in the process. All attempts at negotiating with the Locust Horde ended in violence. The war eventually seemed to have been won with the battle of Jacinto, when the COG collapsed their last city in an attempt to flood the ocean into the Hollow drown the Locust and Lambent alike. However, the Locust Horde survived but were left fractured. Those who did not escape with Myrrah or reunite with her afterwards reverted to a tribal state, becoming the surface-dwelling Savage Locust. During the war, Adam Fenix's Immulsion countermeasure was finally completed, but with a fatal flaw. Having discovered the true nature of Immulsion as a parasitic lifeform, Adam configured his machine to eradicate all Immulsion on Sera, killing every Lambent on the planet and curing humanity of its contamination, but it would also kill all Locust as well due to the presence of Immulsion in their cells. Myrrah seized control of the Azura research facility in order to delay its activation and reconfigure it to destroy the Lambent but spare the Locust. During the Battle of Azura, COG Delta Squad, led by Adam's son Sergeant Marcus Fenix, succesfully located the countermeasure and liberated the Professor from captivity. In the ensuing confrontation, Myrrah was killed by Marcus and the countermeasure was activated. Adam had previously infected himself with Lambency in order to accurately track Immulsion's rapid evolution, and so was disintegrated by the device.

Upon the countermeasure's activation, all Immulsion on Sera was destroyed and the Lambent eradicated. However, the Locust were rendered comatose by the device, their bodies becoming encased in unbreakable crystalline cocoons. Presumed dead, the cocooned Locust were buried in mass graves such as abandoned mines. 25 years later, the Locust awakened from their dormancy, having metamorphasised into larger and stronger forms of themselves known as Scions. In order to replenish their numbers and claim their victory over humanity, these Scions began abducting Humans and transforming them into an army of Human/Locust hybrids known as the Swarm, a new horde with the original Locust leading as officers and with Queen Myrrah's conciousness preserved in their new hive mind.

Locust Queen (Myrrah)
The Locust Queen is the enigmatic leader of the Locust Horde. Though she is never present on the battlefield, she is able to observe skirmishes with the COG and possibly even command the units of her army. However that may just be another General. It has recently been confirmed that Myrrah was in fact Human, albeit heavily modified. Her traumatic experiences within the Mount Kadar research facility have left her with an intense hatred for humanity and a telepathic connection to the Locust, who were created from her own stem cells. Despite her Human origins, the Locust are intensely loyal to their Queen, obeying her without question and often referencing her in their battle cries.

General RAAM
General RAAM was the Leader of the Locust Horde military, and was second to the Locust Queen. He appeared as a large Locust shrouded in a small swarm of Kryll. RAAM had pronounced facial features, with large, bony eyebrow ridges and a seemingly constant snarling expression. He is said to have been a Theron before being promoted to General, a position he earned after usurping his predecessor, Sraak. During the final battle RAAM fought, he carried a Troika machine gun (although this weapon is normally mounted on a turret, RAAM wielded the weapon with one hand). He had one advantage over enemies of the battlefield, his shroud of Kryll. This is only one of the many reasons Raam was feared. He was killed by Marcus Fenix.

Skorge
Skorge was the High Priest of the Locust Horde. He is a member of the Kantus caste of priests, sharing their tall, sinewy frame. It would seem that after RAAM's demise he took the position of the Horde's highest military leader. He wears specialized armor, studded with spikes. He also sports several dreadlocks that seem to come from his helmet (though they may be his hair or tentacles). In addition to standard Kantus priest combat equipment, he uses a formidable bow-staff with chainsaws at each end. He too is killed by Marcus Fenix, aided by Dominic Santiago. He is also seen jumping out of the ground, chainsawing a tank in half, and protecting the Queen as well as performing reconnaissance as stated by the Queen

General Karn

A Locust warlord responsible for the destruction of Halvo Bay. Physically frail and weak by Locust standards, Karn lead his forces from atop his mount, a spider-like beast known as the Shibboleth. He was bested by Damon Baird, but killed by Colonel Loomis.

Ukkon

The chief scientist of the Locust Horde, Ukkon was responsible for the taming and modification of much of Sera's wildlife, including Corpsers and Brumaks. He was also one of the original Locust, a former Human altered by the experiments in Mt Kadar. As such, he suffered from rustlung, a terminal lung disease the Locust were assumed immune to (as well as an actual indicator of early stage Lambency). Ukkon also experimented significantly with Immulsion, granting himself a powerful healing factor capable of regrowing lost body parts in seconds, as well as enhancing his troops with Immulsion infusions. He was killed by Reyna Torres shortly after a team of rogue Gears killed his Hydra.

Drones
Drones appear to be the common race among the Locust Horde. They are larger than humans and have chalky white skin with gray, scale-like patches that most likely are hardened to protect them from minor damage. Sniper Drones often wear goggles for increased accuracy. They were bred in the Hollow to be bloodthirsty fighters. When ordered, Drones will throw their lives away by the hundreds to kill one Gear. They often crawl out of "emergence holes," which the Locust use as a bridge between underground and the surface world. Drones follow basic infantry tactics of flanking, dominating the terrain, and setting up ambushes. Almost fearless, they know little in the way of self-preservation and rarely retreat.

They will usually wield the Hammerburst assault rifle. While some regular Drones have taken to using the human Lancer assault rifle, (Dubbed Cyclops for the headgear they normally wear in tandem with wielding the Lancer) and will use the chainsaw bayonet. Most basic drones wear a helmet and body armor while Grenadiers mainly go into battle armorless except for shoulder plates.

Aside from standard drones, there are eight variants that are basically the same creature:
 * Gunner - Drones who operate Troika Turrets.
 * Spotter - Drones who spot targets for Gunners.
 * Grenadier - Drone armed with the Gnasher Shotgun and Bolas Grenades. They tend to wear little to no armour.
 * Flame Grenadier - Grenadier armed with Scorcher Flamethrower and carrying volatile fuel tanks.
 * Sniper - Drone armed with the Longshot Sniper Rifle.
 * Locust Hunter - Alternative variant of the Grenadier.
 * Cyclops - Veteran Drone armed with the Lancer Assault Rifle and equipped with a specialised helmet.
 * Bolter - Drone armed with Boltok Pistol and equipped with a fully enclosed helmet.
 * Beast Rider - Drones who ride beasts of the Horde, including Bloodmounts, Reavers and Brumaks.

Boomers
Boomers are large, barely intelligent Locusts that are often given the 'Boomshot' grenade launcher. They are often seen partnered with other Boomers, but they do not use infantry tactics, instead they move forward slowly and fire their weapons. To combat this tactic, many Gears have noted that an easy way to defeat a Boomer is to stay behind cover and bring them down with automatic fire. Boomers mainly can be heard laughing and saying "Boom!" before they fire.

In addition to the standard Boomer, there exists numerous variants.


 * Mauler - Boomer armed with an explosive chain flail and Boomshield.
 * Butcher - Boomer armed with a Cleaver. Not intended for combat, Butchers serve the Horde as cooks.
 * Flame Boomer - Boomer armed with a Scorcher Flamethrower and equipped with volatile fuel tanks on their back.
 * Grinder - Boomer armed with the Grinder Machine Gun.

Berserkers
Berserkers are the females of the Locust. They are much larger and stronger than their male counterparts, but evidently feral and blind. Berserkers are easily angered and will kill Human and Locust alike with their bare hands. They are effectively bulletproof, but intensely vulnerable to high temperatures. Incendiary weapons, whether a Scorcher Flamethrower or even the Hammer of Dawn, will severely soften a Berserker's armoured hide, rendering her far more vulnerable to other weaponry.

Theron Guards
Theron Guards serve as the elite of the Locust Horde. Easily identified by their sibilant voices and ornate full-body armour. Therons are stronger, faster, and excessively more intelligent than an average drone. They usually wield Torque Bows. They are also the only known locust race to carry and use more than one weapon at any one time.

It is unclear if there is a ranking structure among the Therons, although General Raam was once himself a Theron Guard. During the evacuation of Illima city, an individual Elite Theron served as Raam's lieutenant. Queen Myrrah also had a personal batallion of specialist Therons known as the Queen's Guard.

Wretches
Small, jittery members of the Locust Horde, they are able to climb on almost any surface. They are capable of climbing on vertical surfaces and jumping forward in a frenzy to attack their prey. They are weak yet fast and come in large numbers, often used as a distraction or cannon fodder by the Locust. They often make their presence known before becoming visible by letting out a horrid, extremely high-pitched scream that can make the Gears grab their heads and ears in pain and smash nearby glass or objects (hence the name Wretches). They are very dangerous to Gears that forget to look up or are overwhelmed by a subsequent attack. Wretches can be dispatched in any conventional manner, including Melee attacks, and so tend to operate in packs to compensate for their weakness.

Kantus
In Gears of War 2 there is a new Locust unit called a Kantus. They are around 7 feet in height and the Kantus are essentially Locust priests, and their chanting is used to communicate with other locust (drones,Rockworms and Tickers) often directing them to attack the enemies concentrating on him. Kantus can also manipulate their voices to very deadly effect, they are able to stun and even knock opposition down with their ear-piercing screams. Since Kantus can also revive their downed locust team mates, it is advised to kill the Kantus hanging back before wiping out the other locust. The Kantus' primary weapon is the Gorgon Burst Pistol and the Ink Grenade, which it uses to deadly effect. Near the end of the war, Queen Myrrah's forces involved an armoured variant referred to as Kantus Knights. These Kantus wore bulletproof armour that protected against most conventional weaponry, but not against explosives. Their mouths also became exposed during their chanting, creating an exploitable weakness in their armour.

Beasts
It is interesting to note that Locust beasts often have a helmet-like device on them. Coupled with the 'controls' on Reavers and Brumaks, these helmets could be used to control the animals, and would explain why Delta squad was able to pilot two Reavers and later a Brumak in Gears of War 2.


 * Bloodmount: The Bloodmounts are usually kept in a cage with metal bars until the riders choose them. They carry an additional creature (a Beast Rider or Theron) on its back for gun support. It has two legs which it uses as claws to attack Gears, but it really walks on its hands and attacks with its shriveled feet. Once the passenger has been eliminated, the Bloodmount will continue to attack in an enraged frenzy. This also occurs when and if it suffers enough damage to its head, where it will tear of its helmet in its anger.
 * Brumak: Brumaks are huge monsters with extraordinarily thick hides. They often grow to 12 meters in height and tend to weigh around 10,000 kilograms (22,046 lbs). They were apparently bred by the Locust Horde from smaller native apes. Brumaks are lethal at close range, and they have also been rumored to carry energy beam cannons to kill at a range. Their head-gear resemble the Corpser's helmet, but their bodies have more in common with humanoids than spiders. Brumaks appear to be a form of a sentient being, and can carry weapons on their back for attack.
 * Corpser: Corpsers appear as horrific giant spider-like monsters covered by a mysterious armored helmet. Their heads appear almost humanoid except for their insect like eyes. Corpsers have eight thick rock camouflaged legs that guard their vulnerable underbellies, which is the only exposed part of one's body besides their mouth. The Locust Horde uses Corpsers to dig tunnels through the soil of Sera, allowing the other members of Locust to move about undetected, and even allows the Horde to dig behind COG lines. Corpsers are often seen moments before Locust attacks, and they are often symbolized leading the Locusts out of the ground on Emergence Day. The Jacinto Plateau, which is positioned on a huge slab of granite and marble, it is the only place on Sera that the Horde can not dig through quickly which made it suitable for the COG's main Headquarters. Interestingly, infant and adolescent Corpsers tend to have half as many arms as their adult counterparts, implying that Corpsers grow additional arms as they age.
 * Hydra: The Hydra is a massive flying beast strongly resembling the Reavers. Only 2 Hydras have ever been documented, both serving as the mounts of Skorge and Ukkon respectively. In the official gears of war 2 guide, it states that the hydra is a mutated reaver, possibly from imulsion exposure.
 * Kryll: Kryll are nocturnal small flying bat-like creatures. They stay deep underground during the day and come up to the surface the moment the sun has subsided into the night. Kryll avoid lit areas and can be dispatched by a UV light or direct sunlight which causes immense burns when exposed (weapons fire being ineffective thanks to the Kryll's small size). Kryll are carnivores that will feed on humanoids, and they will literally strip the flesh and bone away to nothing within a few seconds. They will eat both COG Soldiers and Locust Drones if they are foolish enough to step into open darkness. However, in locations close to their habitat, they are spread sparsely, since they are feeding in the cities. So far only General RAAM knows how to control the Kryll, which he uses as an advantage to shield himself. It was said in one of the collectibles in Gears of War 2 that the Lightmass bombing destroyed the Kryll breeding grounds. 99% of the Kryll were destroyed, leading to their lack of appearances in Gears of War 2.
 * Leviathan: Leviathans are massive aquatic predators equivalent to a Whale in terms of size. They do not seem to be under the Horde's control, as they are never seen fighting alongside the Locust. whose gunboats have been seen retreating when approaching a Leviathan's territory. Leviathans are extremely durable predators but can be killed with internal damage, such as grenades thrown down the throat.
 * Nemacyst: The Nemacyst are the small Ink Mortars that are spawned from Seeders. They will hover in the air as easy targets until an enemy is spotted and will then proceed to divebomb kamikaze style and blow the frickin crap out of the area of impact. They are roughly the size of three or four wretches and have tentacles protruding from their undercarraige. Basically anything that can cause damage can kill it in one or two shots. They are seen in Gears of War 1 and 2 and are used to bomb the Assault Derricks and prevent the deployment of the Grindlifts.
 * Nemacyte: The Nemacyte is a relatively small, spider like parasite only found within the Riftworms stomach, and always attack in groups. They spawn from small holes that erupt in the stomach cavity, and ambush their prey with extreme speed and accuracy. They are about the same size as wretches, so they are an easy and very weak target. They are also the small creatures seen dragging away and eating the still a live torso of Benjamin Carmine.
 * Reaver: Large, flying creatures about twenty times the size of a drone. They are saddled up and ridden by a pilot Drone as well as a passenger Drone (or Theron Guard), who guns down enemies. The passenger often wields a Torque Bow. Reavers have very weak armor, and can be killed easily by Troika machine guns or by gunfire to its underbelly when standing on the ground.
 * Riftworm: Possibly a genetic defect of the Rockworm is the Rift Worm, a massive, gargantuan beast that dwarfs every other Locust and every creature on Sera. Through the events of Gears of War 2, it is revealed that the riftworm was being used to sink the Jacinto Plateau before Delta Squad killed it. It swallows the area under cities, creating city-sized sinkholes, and swallows Delta Squad. Ben Carmine is killed inside the Riftworm as Marcus, Dom, Baird, and Cole try to find their way to the first of the three hearts. The Riftworm was revered as a god by the Locust, who credited it for digging the tunnels they call home, although High Priest Skorge was seemingly able to control it through his chanting.
 * Rock Worm: Living alongside the Locust in the Hollows are large beasts called the Rock Worms, they are extremely long, segemented creatures adorned in unbreakable rock-like hides. As such, they can be used as cover from gunfire, which bounces off the worm harmlessly. They eat the glowing red fruit that grows from the ceiling of the Hollow. Surprisingly, these creatures are quite docile, only biting if someone stands in their way. The Locust seem to consider Rock Worms a delicacy, as their dismembered remains have been seen being prepared by Butchers in what appeared to be a kitchen in the Nexus.
 * Seeder: Large, insect-like creatures that launch Nemacysts into the air, flying jellyfish-like creatures that act as flying mines and anti-air interceptor. When Seeders are present in an area, they immediately scramble COG radio frequencies. These enemies then home in on Gears, exploding on impact and injuring anyone around it. Seeders can only be killed using the Hammer of Dawn, but are also susceptible to the heavy cannon fire from a Centaur Tank or a Reaver. There are no other known weakness' confirmed yet.
 * Ticker: This creature seems to resemble a small rodent with long front legs. It carries a bomb strapped to its back that will set off when it gets close to an enemy. As its name suggests, it emits a 'ticking' sound constantly. Gears can melee the Ticker to knock it into the air, detonating it at a safe distance. The Kantus can call upon these to help defend itself against an assault. Wild Tickers without bombs attached have been known to feast on anything they could find, including junk, dead bodies and even functional weapons. These weapons can be acquired upon killing the Wild Ticker.
 * Torture Barge: The Barge is actually a massive living creature, used by the Locust to transport Human slaves and Locust troops, and is an essential part of crossing the Hollow. The only way to destroy the barge is to use the Brumak's heavy machine guns or, presumably, any other heavy weapon, to destroy its legs, which it uses to crawl along the ceiling of the Hollow. Tai Kaliso is imprisoned in a torture barge and then commits suicide with the shotgun that Marcus gives him.

Birth Possibilities
It is unknown how the Locust reproduce. Some people say that they might reproduce asexually or maybe they are just "pulled" out of the ground like the Uruk-Hai and Orcs of the Lord of the Rings series. But it is also interesting to note that Berserkers and Myrrah are the only females. It is also been suggested that they are former humans turned into Locust by unknown means. In a collectible found in the High Security lab, it talks about a test subject who is a human. It says that her nails grew faster, and her hair receded, She may have been turning into a Locust (This was implied to have been Myrrah herself). In the book Aspho Fields, Colonel Hoffman theorised that the Drones mate with Berserkers, who have to be restrained in order to prevent them from pummeling the drones to death.