Swarm

The Swarm are a race of mutant superorganisms that appear in the Gears of War series, first appearing in Gears of War 4. These monstrous creatures are an evolution of the Locust Horde, which were believed to have been exterminated in 17 A.E. following a long war of genocide against humanity. Twenty-five years after that devastating conflict, the Swarm have risen to finish what their Locust forebears started: destroy the human race and conquer all of Sera.

History

Origins

Back when the Locust were first engineered by the scientists at the New Hope Research Facility, head researcher Dr. Niles Samson sought to create a new, superior breed of human that could be used as the ideal soldiers for the Coalition of Ordered Governments, allowing them to bring a swift end to the Pendulum Wars. Through careful tampering of the Locust genome, Samson would create a species that could survive multi-generational conflict by adapting to the most harsh changes in the environment. While the experimentation would prove to be successful, Samson and his staff would not live to see the results, which would not become apparent until over a century later.

In 17 A.E., the final battle of the Locust War was fought on the island of Azura and was brought to an end when Professor Adam Fenix activated his Imulsion Countermeasure device. The machine released an Imulsion vaccine into the atmosphere which rapidly spread across the entire planet, killing off all life-forms infected by the parasitic substance. While the Locust were affected by the vaccine as well, they did not disintegrate as the various Lambent mutations had done. Instead, the Imulsion within their genetic code was expelled and seemingly became inert, hardening to form an ultra-dense crystalline material that grew to encase the Locust corpses. The crystalline shells were apparently indestructible as no tool or weapon the COG had was able to penetrate them. Unable to burn the Locust bodies, the COG had no other option but to bury their fallen enemies, returning them underground from whence they came. Abandoned mines and underground caverns around the planet were turned into enormous burial sites and it was hoped that these Locust graves would remain undisturbed and eventually be forgotten.

However, the Locust, it seemed, were far from dead. The shells that had encased their bodies acted as cocoons, the creatures inside undergoing a metamorphosis that would take decades to come to fruition. By the early 40's, several of the newly-evolved Locust - now known as Scions - would emerge from their cocoons. Like the Horde before them, the Scions would require a Queen in order to help guide them. Although they were still low in numbers, they possessed an ability to form new organic masses with which they could link other life-forms to their neural biological network, transforming said life-forms into a new species under their control.

Within the Swarm's hivemind resided the consciousness of Myrrah, the original Locust Queen, who was able to guide and command the Swarm forces to some extent. In order to properly lead them, however, she required a body, specifically that of someone from her own bloodline. Through the Speaker, Myrrah dispatched her new Swarm across the continent of Tyrus to seek out and capture her long-lost daughter, Reyna Diaz.

Reemergence

In 42 A.E., the Swarm began their offensive against humanity. Still low in numbers, they resorted to attacking Outsider settlements and abducting whoever they could, dragging captives back to their hives and sealing them within organic pods to be converted into new Swarm Drones. They would find Reyna Diaz at the settlement of Fort Umson where the Speaker fought her in personal combat. Though Reyna put up a tough fight and managed to cut off the Speaker's left hand, she was ultimately captured as well and was taken to the Swarm hive at Tollen Dam.

Having witnessed the Swarm's assault on their village, James Dominic Fenix (J.D.), Delmont "Del" Walker and Reyna's daughter Kait would venture out into the wilderness far beyond the New COG's borders in order to find their captured people and rescue them. With the only clue as to the nature of their enemy being the severed hand left behind by the Speaker, the trio first visited J.D.'s father, former veteran of the Locust War, Sgt. Marcus Fenix. Marcus recognised the Imulsion crystals growing out of the hand and accompanied the group to the osmium mine below Fort Reval to confirm his suspicions.

Marcus and the young Gears later arrived at Fort Reval to find that the Locust burial site was now a vast Swarm hive, with strange biomasses and pods strewn about all over the place. As the group observed their surroundings and fought against the hive's inhabitants, they realised that the Swarm were increasing their numbers by abducting humans and placing them inside the organic pods littering the hive, their bodies being broken down and reformed into juvenile drones. During their exploration, the group were ambushed by a Snatcher which managed to grab Marcus and flee deeper into the hive. JD, Del and Kait pursued the creature deep into the centre of the osmium mine where they found the pod containing Marcus, freeing him before he could be converted. While inside the pod, Marcus had been connected to the Swarm hivemind, thus learning that the Swarm and the Locust were one and the same. He also learned that Kait's mother, Reyna, was still alive and was being held at the hive in Tollen Dam.

After escaping the Fort Reval hive, Marcus called for reinforcements in the form of his old comrades from the Locust War. Following a battle in the abandoned town of Speyer in which Kait fought and killed the Speaker, the group met with Marcus' old friends: veteran Gear and retired Thrashball player Augustus Cole and genius mechanic and CEO of DB Industries, Damon Baird. Baird provided the group with a pair of Mega Mechs which they used to storm Tollen Dam and slay the gargantuan Hive Beast protecting it. Inside the hive, the group found Reyna, who was physically connected to the hive via a series of organic tendrils. She asked Kait to free her, knowing that she would die if disconnected. With much hesitation and guilt, Kait ultimately granted her mother's wish and severed the tendrils, apparently euthanizing her.

However, unbeknownst to the group, Reyna had survived the disconnection from the hive. Her mind was too weak as it was disconnected from the hivemind, preventing Myrrah from possessing her. Myrrah then planned to either possess the next in line, her granddaughter Kait, or have Kait awaken Reyna in order to possess her daughter. Kait then began experiencing hallucinations and nightmares as her connection to the hivemind grew. The Swarm then continued to grow their army, taking more Outsiders and transforming them. The surviving Outsiders would later join the COG army to help assist in the fight against the Swarm. While Delta Squad and First Minister Mina Jinn debated the reactivation and use of the Hammer of Dawn against the Swarm, the Swarm began their invasion of Settlement 2. Many were killed and captured, but the majority of Settlement 2 was evacuated. During the last round of evacuations, the Hammer of Dawn was used against an oncoming blight of Swarm. However, the Hammer began to malfunction and fire wildly, killing and wounding many humans as well as Swarm. The rest were able to evacuate while the Hammer and the Swarm destroyed what was left of Settlement 2.

Escalation

Needing to reunite humanity to fight against the Swarm, the COG began to recruit Outsider villages to evacuate into COG settlements, join the army, and fight the Swarm. Kait Diaz, now a Corporal in the army, was sent on the recruiting missions due to her former status as Outsider and her parents being the founders. Within the next four months, nearly all Outsider villages had been incorporated into the COG. However, Kait's connection to the Swarm hivemind grew even further, tormenting her with horrific visions and images. Among the last Outsider villages to recruit was Riftworm Village, led by her uncle, Oscar Diaz. Upon arriving, the Swarm began to siege the village. Cpl. Diaz was captured by a Snatcher and finally connected to the hivemind. Coersced by the voice of Myrrah, Kait took control of the Swarm army and used them to kill all the villagers, resulting in the death of Oscar. COG reinforcements later arrived to defend the village, but Kait's grief finally caused her to admit her visions and possible connection to the Locust Horde. Sgt. Marcus Fenix then offered to help by helping her find the truth and guided her and Lt. Delmont Walker to the New Hope Research Facility.

Kait and Del found the New Hope Research Facility and learned its secrets within, as well as intel locating a second facility inside Mount Kadar. The two then navigated the Kadar Valley, activating radio towers to locate the facility. After triangulating a signal from the Mount Kadar facility, they managed to find the lab under the frozen lake. Upon entering the facility, they were greeted by Niles Samson in the form of an artificially intelligent robot. Dr. Samson revealed to Kait that her grandmother was Queen Myrrah and her stem-cells were used to create the Locust Horde, which were genetically designed by Samson to survive by evolving and hibernating to endure generational conflict, explaining why the Locust evolved into the Swarm instead of dying off. Realizing she was next in line to be Queen of the Swarm, Kait demanded that she be severed from the hivemind. Samson instead used her link to awaken Reyna, whose body was then possessed by Myrrah - finally giving the Swarm their Queen. Kait was then able to sever her link to the hivemind by killing the Matriarch, the first Locust Drone that amplified her connection.

With their Queen secured, the Swarm became much more organized, intelligent, and methodical. They grew in greater numbers and in strength and become to industrialize their own weapons and armour. It became clear to Kait and her friends that they needed to reactivate the Hammer of Dawn. Damon Baird then directed Delta Squad to the desert of Vasgar, where an old space facility contained satellites for the Hammer of Dawn and targeting beacons created by the Union of Independent Republics. Led by former UIR soldier, Garron Paduk, Delta Squad was able to launch the new Hammer of Dawn satellites. With the COG now in possession of the Hammer of Dawn, Queen Reyna pushed to New Ephyra by invading the ruins of Old Ephyra. The COG planted the targeting beacons and began firing the Hammer of Dawn, but all three were destroyed by the Kraken, a massive Swarm beast. As the Swarm neared New Ephyra, JACK used its own targeting beacon to destroy the Kraken, which then destroyed Old Ephyra and the surrounding Swarm army - saving New Ephyra.

Swarm Types

The Swarm is made up of various creatures that have been mutated and connected to the species' hivemind. The creatures encountered thus far have been listed below.

• Scions - Former Locust Drones that act as the leaders of the Swarm in the absence of a Queen. In combat, they are the Swarm's heavy-hitters, much like the Boomers and Kantus of the Locust Horde. They wield heavy weapons and are capable of strengthening Swarm Drones.
• Drones - Former humans converted into Swarm foot soldiers after being transformed inside organic pods and connected to the hivemind. They behave and operate in much the same way as Locust Drones once did.
• Juvies - Newborn Swarm Drones that have not yet fully developed. Smaller and weaker than full Drones, they are more animalistic and behave in a similar manner to the Wretches of the Locust, scampering towards prey in packs and overwhelming them as they maul victims to death.
• Matriarch - Only one of these creatures is known to exist. It was the first Locust Berserker, the females of the species, to be created. It had been sealed inside the Mount Kadar Laboratory when Myrrah and the first Locust escaped into the Hollow, though remained connected to the hivemind even after the release of the Imulsion Countermeasure. When Kait Diaz and Delmont Walker investigated the abandoned lab in 42 AE, the Matriarch was released from stasis and attacked. Kait and Del were able to kill the creature by freezing it and then shattering it.
• Snatchers - Large, quadrupedal beasts that are so-named due to their ability to capture live prey, containing them within their bellies. These creatures produce the organic pods that convert other life-forms into Swarm.
• Pouncers - Juvenile Snatchers that have not yet grown large enough to capture and convert prey, though are still extremely deadly in their own right. They are so-called because they attempt to pounce on victims and tear them apart. They may also attack from a distance by launching the quills from their tails.
• Carriers - Large, armoured creatures with no legs, using their arms to drag themselves across the ground. Their chestplates open up to reveal a nest of Cankers: small, living projectiles that launch themselves at distant targets and explode on impact.
• The Flock - An enormous flock of flying leech-like creatures that act together as a singular organism. They can swiftly burrow through a human body and are even capable of hijacking robotic machinery, subverting it to the control of the Swarm.
• Swarmaks - Brumaks that have undergone the same evolution as the Scions. Much of their bodies are covered with the same crystalline growths that cocooned the Scions, making them near-indestructible. However, a series of blisters on their unarmoured parts act as weak points.
• Kraken - A naturally-occurring Deep Hollow creature similar to the Riftworm that had been possessed by the Swarm. One of these colossal beasts was unleashed against the COG during the Battle of Old Ephyra, but was destroyed by the Hammer of Dawn.
• Hive Beasts - Colossal monsters that are responsible for producing the Snatchers and guarding the Swarm's hives. JD Fenix and Kait Diaz used Mega Mechs to fight and slay one of these creatures at Tollen Dam.