Emergence Day
From Gears of War
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- "For a time, the humans of Sera knew the illusion of peace... until Emergence Day. At that moment, our people broke free from our subterranean, erupting into the domain of these ground walkers, and wiping out whole cities. We fought and killed the humans on their fine boulevards, in their homes, on their battlefields. And they fought back. In time, their valiant defense was crushed. With billions dead, humans denied their enemy control by destroying their own civilization. They launched devastating attacks on their own territory- sacrificing their own citizens- so that we could not posses it. Such as their loathing and fear of us. Understand what a world must do to survive- what humans must do, and what we must do. But survive we must. Now the humans' long struggle against overwhelming odds approaches the final, desperate stand."
- — The Locust Queen explaining Emergence day[3]
Emergence Day or E-Day was a planet wide assault on the surface of Sera by the Locust Horde. Every single human city was attacked from underground, using both bio-engineered weapons and stolen human technology. The Locust Horde was able to defeat all organised human resistance for over a year, and used the spoils of war to gather all able military and technological equipment to use against the COG and few UIR nations that still existed after the Pendulum Wars[4][5]. The Locust onslaught continue for a year until the Hammer of Dawn counterattack, under newly elected Chairman Richard Prescott[6].
[edit] E-Day
- "The lucky ones died on E-Day"
- — Motto of the post E-Day Sera.
Emergence Day was the day that the Locust Horde emerged from the underground caverns of Sera and launched a full-fledged assault upon the human race, changing the course of Human history forever. In twenty four hours, the Locusts attacked every major city across Sera, and within days of the first Locust emergence the Global Communications Network had collapsed [7]. The Locust had exterminated one quarter of the human population in a very genocidal fashion; making no discrimination between women, men and children alike. For the beleaguered human nations, only recent through with the 79-years-long Pendulum Wars, the attack was completely unexpected, and the recently victorious COG was unable to unite under Chairman Dalyell.
Initial reports instructed civilians to stay indoors and remain calm. As Emergence Day continued to unfold, the Locust began to butcher civilians in their homes, businesses, and on the streets. Calls to the COG Civil Protection Service were futile as the network was flooded with similar cries for help. With such high percentages of casualties, hospitals were quickly overwhelmed and forced to turn away more incoming wounded[8]. Within days, billions were dead and thousands more were reported missing. Rumors began to spread that "The Locust eat Humans" or "The Locust are taking Human prisoners".
Shorty after the event of Emergence Day, a new motto was adopted. "The Lucky Died on E-Day" conveyed the thoughts that future would far worse than what humanity had just witnessed.
As the year went on, millions died daily. The Locust began invading cities, exterminating it's population, and gutting it for supplies before moving onto to next city where the same tactic was used. After a year had passed, it was proven that only the cities of Tryus that lie on Jacinto Plateau were safe. When discovered of the Locusts plans to invade cities including the very soon Ephrya. The COG had to make a terrifying counter attack.
[edit] Outcome
Emergence Day lead to a series of massacres unlike any humanity had ever known. For humanity, the Pendulum Wars had greatly weakened and divided their forces, giving the Locust an advantage in the war. However, after decades of a persistent state of war, humanity had been collectively battle-hardened. A year after E-Day, Chairman Richard Prescott attempted to unite humanity for a counterstrike against the Locust Horde, but was unable to gain support from the C.O.G. member states [9], forcing him to undertake the single greatest imminent loss of life during the war. Prescott instated the Fortification Act and gave Sera three days to retreat to Ephyra before he fired the Hammer of Dawn. At great cost to human life and infrastructure, the Locust were driven back by orbital weaponry and chemical warfare, effectively denying assets to the Locust horde.However, they were not defeated. Over the next decade, the Locust would continue their persistent onslaught against humanity, finally breaching Jacinto Plateau at the East Barricade Academy ten years after Emergence Day.
[edit] References
- ↑ Gears of War:Jacinto's Remnant; Locust was able to striped all military and technology resources from the COG until one year and one month after E-Day when the Hammer of Dawn counterstrike denied the Locust of all spoils of war
- ↑ Gears of War:Destroyed Beauty
- ↑ Gears of War 1 second cutscene
- ↑ Gears of War:PC the Timgad power station was being used by the Locust and had the power sent into the Hollows
- ↑ Gears of War:Jacinto's Remnant:Republic of Gorasnaya never surrender, but was overrun by the Locust
- ↑ Gears of War:Jacinto's Remnant
- ↑ Gears of War:Aspho Fields pg 40
- ↑ Last Day
- ↑ Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant, pages 53-55
