"Drivers! Listen up. Rule one-stay in radio contact at all times. You won't be able to see what the hell's going on fore or aft, gentlemen, and if the shit hits the fan, then this is where your redirection will come from. Let me remind you that standard operating procedures are not a suggestion-you will maintain one-hundred-meter intervals, you will clear a kill zone as fast you can, you will not stop in a kill zone, you will use maximum firepower. Now-listen for your call sign and start your engines."

— Col.Hoffman before the evacuation of North Gate

The Evacuation of North Gate was an evacuation of the North Gate Agricultural Depot that occurred a week after the Lightmass Offensive.

Order of BattleEdit

IncursionEdit

After defeating around a dozen Drones and a Boomer, Delta Squad reported to High Command that Locust incursions were at their lowest levels and were only sending out small units of Drones with no heavy support. High Command, thinking the war was in its last days, begun recuperating. These actions were shown to be premature when a massive Locust attack force approached North Gate Farm, a zone that was previously thought to be secure, now under direct threat from the Locust Horde. High Command, knowing they couldn't spare any men or equipment to defend North Gate, decided to evacuate all personal or equipment to Jacinto.

The Road to North GateEdit

The COG convoy began seeing something that they thought to be impossible: humans living regular lives. Stranded had small shops, trying to live the type of life thought normal before E-Day, thinking the Lightmass bombing was truly successful. After getting to North Gate, the Gears dismounted from their vehicles to help the COG civilians load their belongings onto the trucks.

Preemptive strikeEdit

While the Sappers were loading supplies onto the trucks, Anya took control of JACK and sent the bot on a recon mission, discovering a group of 20 plus Drones. Anya informed Col.Hoffman of the Locust forces and decided to go en route with Delta-One. Taking KR A-108, they land near the Locust forces and engaged the enemies. Hoffman and Bernie where both wounded in the skirmish but not life threatening. Hoffman was shot in in the calf while Bernie received a black eye and stiff lip from a drone she chainsawed, and had to dig out its bones fragments from her face.^[8]

The Race to JacintoEdit

Before departing, COG forces destroyed anything that could not be taken with them in a scorched earth policy, both to prevent the Locust from utilising them, and to force the remaining Stranded to join Operation Lifeboat. The convoy hurriedly left North Gate as the impending Locust assault was coming closer. In the city of Ephyra they came under attack from the Locust. What made matters worse was that most of the Gears defending the convoy were pushing 60, including Hoffman and Bernie. Locust grenadiers began to attach Bolo Grenades onto the APCs, destroying one, and leaving a second explosive on Hoffman's APC while he and Tai Kaliso were scouting out a nearby street. The two get ambushed and try to fight off the Locust and are nearly killed, but are rescued by Dom and Marcus who come back for them after hearing of their predicament from Anya. The four dispatch the Locust Drones and JACK disarms the explosives. During the continuing journey to Jacinto, a cargo truck was lost, the Gear riding shotgun killed, and the civilian driver badly wounded. With one APC left and a few trucks, the COG forces barely made it back to Jacinto. When the battered convoy arrived they received a hard earned hero's welcome from the local population, which was a great morale booster.

AftermathEdit

Tai led a mission back into the city to recover the remains of the fallen Gears and civilians, and to get back the stolen supplies from the Stranded. Back in Jacinto, rumors spread that the war was won and the Locust defeated. However, seismic activity around Tollen forced HQ to send Delta-One on a recon mission to the city. When they arrived they found a ten kilometer long lake in its place.^[9] The sinking of Tollen, along with the loss of Montevado, forced the COG to launch Operation: Hollow Storm.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 257
2. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 135
3. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 199
4. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pp 202
5. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields page 69
6. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields page 70
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 206
8. ↑ Gears of War:Aspho Fields 145
9. ↑ Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 382