Dominic Santiago

Dominic "Dom" Santiago is a COG soldier. Dom was the younger brother of Carlos Santiago and son of Eduardo Santiago and Eva Santiago. Born in a Pre E-Day Sera, he grew up listening to his father's war stories and going to school with Carlos and Marcus. Dom later joined the army as a commando and took part in Operation Leveler. Years later Dom freed his best friend Marcus Fenix from Jacinto Maximum Security Prison and recruited him into Delta Squad. His battlefield intensity is rivaled only by his loyalty to Marcus. Dom's friendly and outgoing nature lets him form relationships with factions throughout Sera, including the Stranded. He's always quick with a joke, but Dom's amiability masks an inner conflict that makes the war against the Locust far more personal.

[edit] History

[edit] Early Life

Dom was born to Ed and Eva Santiago. He grew up in Ephyra city and went to school at Olafson Intermediate School, where his brother met Marcus Fenix. Dom met Maria Flores, who moved down two doors. They were both 11 when they met. Dom would spot Maria climb her front yard tree, and soon plucked up enough courage to talk to her. They both became good friends, then dated when teenagers, then became 16 year old parents. Maria became pregnant with a boy, so Dom and Maria decided to get married. Dom was forced to stay in school so he could give a better future for his kids, staying behind while his brother and Marcus join the army. His first son, Benedicto Santiago was born during Frost, 4 years before E-Day^[1]. Dom later dropped out of school and joined the army, joining the experimental commando units with his trainee partner Georg Timiou. Dom passed his commando training and was subsequently part of Hoffman's commando team to take part in Operation Leveler. The day before the Battle of Aspho Fields, Dom's second child was born, Sylvia Santiago. Dom took part in Op.Leveler and was able to save many of the Commandos at Aspho Point and was awarded the Embry Star^[2]. After Aspho Fields, he stayed home to be with Maria and his kids. They stayed in their Lower Jacinto apartment for a couple more years until they got enough money to rent a house back in Ephrya City. One day, Dom and Maria decided to take the kids on a beautiful day to Ephrya City Park, however, they had no idea what was going to happen that day.

[edit] Emergence Day

After the end of the Pendulum Wara, Dom and Maria rented their first house (the one that Dom wakes up to in his flashback dream after being swallowed from the Riftworm), and were in a park watching Benedicto and Sylvia play in the playground^[3]. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and an Emergence Hole opened up and swallowed the jungle gym Benedicto and Sylvia were playing on, killing them both. Both Dom and Maria where able to evacuate to Jacinto while the Locust attack the city and park, but were left devastated. However Maria was pushed over the edge with the loss of her kids and her new home destroyed, and Dom's constant presense on the frontline. Four years after E-Day Maria left Jacinto and vanished, desestating Dom. After the years of grief and depression, she just left where one day, Dom came home and she wasn't there. This, along with the loss of his parents on E-Day, makes the war with Locust deeply personal.

About ten years after E-Day, Dom testified in Marcus's favor during his trial, when Marcus was charged for Dereliction of Duty in the face of danger, and was sentenced to death. Dom, saved his friend from execution by testifying that day, but Marcus still went to the Jacinto Maximum Security Prison (the Slab). As a result of his testimony, Dom lost the trust of many people, and cost him the chance of being promoted by his superiors, because they believed he had more loyalty to Marcus than to the COG, even though many respected him for not abandoning his friend.

[edit] Lightmass Offensive

Dom after the Mission to the Pirnah Badlands.

At the beginning of Gears of War 1, Dom rescues his friend when the Locust take over Jacinto Maximum Security Prison, and he helps him escape the jail. Afterwards, Marcus joins Dom in forming Delta Squad. They are ordered to retrieve the Sonic Resonator to deploy in the Locust tunnels. They fight through several parts of Empyra, rescuing the remnants of Alpha Squad (who originally possessed the Resonator) and narrowly survive a brutal Berserker ambush. Marcus is promoted to Sergeant when Lieutenant Kim dies at RAAM's hand, and Dom then offers his assistance in leading the team to Franklin's Outpost.

Upon arriving at the Stranded outpost, Dom calls in a favour he is owed in order to borrow a Junker from Franklin. The Laverne would be used to safely transport Delta Squad to the Lethia Imulsion Facility, where they would deploy the Resonator. Marcus and Dom must leave Cole and Baird behind as added defense for the local Stranded while Dom and Marcus secure the Junker from Chap's Gas Station. They form Delta One, and fight through several waves of attacking Locust, all the while sustaining attacks from the vicious Kryll. They eventually reach the station, and begin to fuel the Junker. When Locust infantry attack the Gas Station, they narrowly escape back to outpost to pick up Delta Two. After one last massive firefight at the HQ, the combined team finally heads for Lethia Imulsion Facility.

The entrance to the factory is blocked, and the team must once again split into their two teams. Upon discovering an entrance, Marcus and Dom travel through the Lambent Wretch infested facility, and head into the underground caverns. After facing many Locust, including a Corpser and several elite Locust known as Theron Guards, they successfully deploy the Resonator, and escape The Hollow in the nick of time. With the Resonator activated, their mission was complete.

However, soon after the team makes it outside, they learn that the Resonator has failed. Upon discovering a geobot with massive tunnel data, however, they find that the focal point of the data is Marcus's old house. Dom and the rest of Delta Squad are picked up by King Ravens and transported to East Barricade Academy, the site of Marcus's old home. The team splits up once more, as Cole and Baird stay behind at the Contemporary Fighting Center in order to tend to wounded Gears, so Marcus and Dom go on ahead. After fighting through the defensive posts of many Locust that infested the campus, Dom and Marcus finally reach the house. Delta Two is able to link up, but quickly departs to repair an APC in the back of the house. Once inside, they gather all the information needed and barely escape a massive Brumak onboard the APC.

Delta Squad hurries to Timgad Station where the train which carries the Lightmass Bomb will soon pass through. Dom and Marcus board the train, but Baird and Cole reach the train too late. Separated, Delta Two radios that they will wait for King Ravens to pick them up. Delta One receives intel saying that the bomb is at the front of the train and that they must start heading there now. As the lone pair heads to the front of the train in order to activate the bomb, they are confronted with yet another Berserker, Locust Reavers, and Lambent Wretches. At the front of the train, they encounter General RAAM guarding the Lightmass Bomb. Dom lays down suppressing fire, while a King Raven provides air support and Marcus takes pot shots at the general. Marcus loads the targeting data and deploys the Lightmass Bomb into the tunnels, narrowly escaping as the bomb detonates. The bomb annihilates multitudes of Locust, scoring a much-needed victory for the humans. Dom jumps onto the King Raven and is just barely able to pull Marcus onboard, with the help of Colonel Hoffman.

[edit] Sinking of Tollen and Montevado

Dom, along with Delta-One, took part in the Evacuation of North Gate^[2]. Dom met Bernadette Mataki during the Ambush at Sovereigns Boulevard. She joined Delta and took part in the evac of North Gate Agricultural Depot, getting all the supplies out of the deport. She later told him about the death of Carlos and he showed her the pictures of his children. Some time after the evac Dom took part in the Mission to the Pirnah Badlands, on a search and rescue mission for missing gears. The mission was a failure, and afterwards Delta had a weeks leave. Dom, however, couldn't stand staying one week in Jacinto knowing Maria was out there. He was more then eager to get back to the field. On the Mission to Montevado, Dom and the rest of Delta were shot down over Locust territory. Dom and Delta made it to Montevado on foot, but as soon they entered the city it was sunk by the Riftworm. Barley surviving the sinking, Delta were attacked by Bloodmounts in the sinkhole. Dom was ordered by Marcus to escaped with Jace Stratton. All the members of Delta expect for Michael Barrick made it out of Montevado. In the month after Montevado in a Battle near Jacinto, Dom remembered what he was fighting for and hoped one day he could have Maria back^[3].

[edit] Operation Hollow Storm

Six months after the Lightmass Offensive, the Siege of Jacinto is tightening. Dom was getting conflicting reports on Maria, including a sighting at Jacinto Med^[4]. Not finding her at the Hospital, Dom felt he had lost her again. Dom, along with Marcus and Benjamin Carmine, took part in Op.Hollow Storm and fought their way to Landown. After entering the Hollow, Dom and Delta fight their way though vairous Locust hardpoints and eventually end up in the newly sunk Ilima sinkhole, finding Cole and Baird on the way. During extraction, the King Raven they are on was swallowed by the Riftworm. After cutting the arteries around the Riftworm's three hearts and killing it, Dom and Delta cut their way out. However despite requesting pickup they are dispatched to investiagte the New Hope Research Facility.

At the facility, Dom and Marcus reconed the buildings. There they discovered the Sires and clues that led them to Mount Kadar, where they reentered the Hollow. Upon finding a small ground of Stranded, Dom also discovered Maria's location. Dom immediately set off to rescue his wife. Marcus initially objects to this, wanting to continue on with their mission but Dom convinces him to help after reminding him he did the exact same thing for his father. Dom and Marcus infiltrate the camp and eventually find the pod that contains Maria. Upon opening the pod, Dom, apparently delusional, sees his wife in perfect health. However, he quickly recovers from this and comes to see Maria is malnourished, scarred and has been mentally broken from the torture of the work camps and the deaths of her two children. Dom desperately tries to remind Maria who he is but all she can do is gaze emptily at him, showing absolutely no recognition of who Dom is. Devastated, Dom decides to euthanize her, telling Maria how sorry he is that he couldn't find her in time and how much he loves her. Marcus walks away, and in the distance he hears a gunshot; Dom later appears and Marcus apologizes for his loss. Dom and Marcus continued to infiltrate Nexus, the Locust capital, again meeting Cole and Baird on the way. After killing the Locust high priest Skorge, but failing to kill the queen, they return to Jacinto. There, they discover that in order to place a lightmass bomb that will sink Jacinto but flood the Hollow with water, they must return underground. After hijacking a Brumak and using it to clear Locust from the area, Jacinto in sunk and the Hollow flooded. Flying away from the ruins of the last bastion of Humanity, Dom is left to an ambiguous future.

[edit] Trivia

• Dominic carries a combat knife attached to his chest armor, though he only uses it in the Gears of War novel. The same knife he showed Maria after passing his commando training.
• Dominic is age 33 at the time when Gears of War occurs.
• In Gears of war and Gears of War 2, Dom does not keep his pistol at his side like all other characters. Instead, he keeps it in a holster on his chest. This does not affect the gameplay of his character model at all.
• In honor of Carlos, Dom named one of his sons Benedicto, which was Carlos' middle name.
• Despite his armor appearing to have a grey and brown color scheme, Dom's armor has a slight part of it toned in blue, the shoulder armor.

[edit] Notable Quotes

"...So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

— Gears 1 Ending

"I don't 'hang out' with them, dickwad. I'm looking for somebody."

— To Baird, on Stranded

"I remember you still owe me 20 bucks."
"Oh yeah? See me after the war."

— Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, on Thrashball

"I want to kill them all."

— After Maria's death

"Aww... ain't that cute."
"Like two assholes on their first date."

— Augustus Cole and Dominic Santiago, on Marcus and Baird's arguing

"This is gonna be awesome."

— After hearing Delta Squad will be meeting up with Colonel Hoffman

"If something happens to me... promise me you'll look for Maria."

— Conversation with Marcus before seeing Skorge for the first time and boarding a Grindlift

"But I'm Dom. I'm a good guy. I don't threaten women, This isn't me,honestly."

— Dom's inner thoughts during interrogating Debrah Humbert.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Gears of War:Aspho Fields pg. 89
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Gears of War:Aspho Fields
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Gears of War:Sourcebook
4. ↑ Gears of War 2