AUTHOR'S NOTES: Welcome to the Origins for the Noble and Ambitious new Monarch of the New Locust Army; If you're reading this, it means that within Heroes in Arms, The Point of No Return has been reached and Dimensional stability is crumbling, revealing cracks in the dimensions that are alternative realities to the original, with their own unique Distortions. These stories, the Origins, will pave the way and add lore to the possible sequel to Heroes in Arms. Besides that, this story has content not suitable to younger audiences and all Lore/Story related to the Gears of War franchise belongs to "The Coalition" and all their respective owners... and without further interruptions, Enjoy... -D.

Our story starts in the middle of battle, near its last moments, on-top of Professor Adam Fenix's prison/hotel; The Lambent Countermeasure will fire in about a few seconds, The Queen's Tempest is at the verge of death, seconds from it. As the final hammer of dawn strike hit the Tempest, Adam finished setting the countermeasure then went outside, unlocking the secured room and stepping out into the open... the sky clouded with dark smoke and cinders. Suddenly the Tempest leaps from where it had fallen and smashes it's mortally wounded self against the building.

'Gotcha, Bitch!...' PVT Augustus Cole says as the dying Tempest clawed and damaged the Tower, driving it's insect legs into the machine's inner workings, ripping cables and chunks of the structure, sparks and flames spewing out; However it seized to move as death took it, It's grip faltered and then released. '...And Keep your Dead Ass... DEAD!' he finished saying as the massive war-beetle fell onto the ground a massive clutter and teeth grinding ground shake, killed by Delta Squad.

'It's starting...' Adam says as he walked towards Delta Squad, looking them as he looked at the first blast of his weapon, The lambent that started to surround Delta squad froze on the spot like statues, no trace of what once was a infected creature but ash. Suddenly Stalks break through the floor, shaking the area however they wither to dust too like the drudges that spewed from them...

CHAPTER 1: THE NEW ERA.

LOCATION: AZURA IN THE WORLD OF SERA, DIMENSION A6.

TIME PERIOD: LOCUST WAR, 15 YEARS AFTER EMERGENCE DAY.

SECONDS BEFORE GLOBAL IMULSION COUNTERMEASURE DEPLOYMENT

DISTORTION: Unlike the origin-dimension of this reality where the Imulsion Countermeasure ends the lives of all Lambent, Locusts and Adam Fenix, in this dimension the machine was partially successful in it's deployment, only achieving the eradication of the Lambent Pandemic and sparing Adam and the Locust Horde; The Professor in this timeline did not test the effects of his device on himself but on guinea pigs, deeming his results a success.

"The difference between this dimension from the Origin dimension is simple..."

Damon Baird: Professor you said tested this... how? -he asked with skepticism-

The Imulsion Countermeasure fully detonates, Causing the lambent to fall down into a pile of their own ash, slowly disintegrating even more every time the weapon fired a pulse. Locust hooks appear from the sides of the entire area, their owners leap up and and take aim at Delta squad right before Adam could answer Damon's question. Delta is completely surrounded by Palace Guards who don't fire at them but hold them at Gunpoint, then the Queen drags herself from under her fallen tempest, limping towards Delta who are completely surrounded by a small battalion of locust, as she looks around with a smirk:

Queen Myrrah: Hold your fire... -she looks at Adam-... seems you kept your word after all; The lambent die as we still stand. -she coughs before two guards get to her sides-

She gestures with her head prompting the guards to subdue Delta squad and Adam by beating them to the ground (Except the professor who's held upon his knees by two palace guards), their weapons taken then thrown aside. The squad fought the odds but ultimately being outnumbered three to one was too much, force to block with their forearms and knees but still taking some serious hits.

Marcus stabs a Palace Guard on the foot with Dom's knife but he gets kicked in the face hard by another, the wounded one is taken away by one of his companions. Three therons continue to beat Marcus down, Adam trying to break free from the grip of his captors but with no avail:

Adam: Myrrah stop!... they're gonna kill them! -he pleads to her-

Myrrah: Not yet at least... -she orders the locust get Delta on their knees, they hold their hands up as the Therons and Palace Guards aim at them-... Finally the lambent are no more and Sera is hours for the taking, A New Era has begun for me, for you but most importantly the horde can finally rule over the surface. -The locusts around shouted in victory and celebration, agreeing with their queen-

Marcus: Don't count on it, If we don't stop you, someone else will... -he said to her in a snarl before he was pressed against the ground-

Myrrah: "Like Father, like son" it seems this is still the case then... -she says while referring to Adam-...Adam, you will come with me once more and assist in the my people's reclamation of Sera. -She ordered-... Consider it "Mercy". -Adam looked at her with fierce eyes-

Marcus: Why would Dad help you bitch?! -he angrily said to her, trying to move his hands but couldn't-

Cole: Yeah!... The Fenix are untradeable, human team only! -he shouted getting knocked out cold by a Theron, Myrrah grinned at this-

Baird: Cole!... you motherf- -He was Knocked out by a heavy bash to the side of the head courtesy of Palace Guard-

Anya: Damn you all to hell! -she was kicked down on her face then her arms pinned behind her back, two guards with Lancers standing over her-

Myrrah: Kill them all except this one... -she pointed at Adam-... Do as you please, you earned such an Honor my children. -A few of them snickered at this, one revved it's chainsaw and was intending to taking off Cole's right hand with it-

The Palace Guards held Adam down in clear sight of the executions, He saw a the Therons and Guards tore the armor off Marcus's body then Anya, leaving them in their under armor; A Palace Guard grabbed hold of Anya by her hair and lifted her up to her knees and threaten to take her head as a trophy, holding a serrated blade in his hands. Marcus was fighting with no avail, the Therons held him in place as the Palace Guards relished the opportunity pummel this Veteran Human:

Adam: Myrrah, please don't!... Stop!... -he pleaded with her, Myrrah turned her head just enough were the corner of her eye was able to catch him-

Myrrah: And why not? -she responded, a small grin grew on her lips as Adam averted his gaze from his son being beaten to a pulp by the Locusts-... What could you possibly do that may change my mind?... these four have killed so many of my children, seems fitting I take yours... As you humans say "Poetic Justice"... -she fully turned to face him-... unless you have something that could sway my mind.

Adam: Stop them and I'll tell you just that... -he says to her, turning her head to her, his glasses barely on his face at this point-

She raised her hand to stop the execution for the time being, she knew how far one would go to protect their children; In a near comical display of their bloodlust, immediately as Myrrah stopped them some of the Therons grunted displeased and frustrated like a child told he was to enter the house while they played. The Palace Guard who was threatening Anya did too but he snipped her cheeks with his knife then feeling her blood on his fingers before backing away while Marcus was slammed down to the ground and held there once more, his face starting to bruise up from the beating.

Adam: I'll do it... -he said defeated-... Just don't kill them...

Myrrah: What will that be? -she said raising an eyebrow with a wicked grin-... What is that you do to ensure their heads don't come off?

Adam: I'll help you, j-j-just don't kill them... they're all I got left... -He said softly, sadness and submission in his voice-

Marcus: Dad no! -he shouted as he tried fighting his way up-

Anya: Professor no! -She thrashed around trying to get out of her binds-

Myrrah: Silence... -gesturing the Therons whom nodded in response-

The Royal Guard whacked them across the back of their heads, dropping unconscious by the impact. She let Adam stood by his own strength, he reluctantly stood beside her with two Palace Guards staring Venomous daggers at him, Myrrah walked forward a it then spun around staring at the small force assembled in front of her:

Myrrah: The superior race would now take what it rightfully belongs to them... WE TAKE SERA!... -The Guards shouted in unison after she spoke-... We shall break their backs once and for all, Captain and lieutenants... -she gestures the Theron and Palace Guard leaders-... Use the humans' weapons against them, Let them see the futility of their struggle.

As she ordered them to wield the hammer of dawn they complied and started retrieving the markers then propping themselves up against walls staring at the ocean where the Human ships floated, meanwhile the Queen limped towards the war beetle who she mourned in silence.

She caressed the dead Insect, passing her hand over its belly, removing the armor's straps from it so it's armor would fall off it's scourged body. Upon yanking off it's thorax's armor a piece of the Tempest's flesh fell off with a stiff thud revealing that within itself the War Beetle had stored three large eggs from which three additional tempests could be born, they were snuggly held in between squishy flesh and a layer of thick slime. She quickly ordered their extraction by any available Kantuses and beast-masters in the area. Just as she looked to the Horizon the blinding bright columns of light descended from the skies and wiped out the Gorasni fleet with devastating precision.

The Dreadnaughts' melted chunks sunk down to the bottom of the ocean, hundreds of smaller vessels were erased and everything else was unable to escape the Hammer of Dawn's wrath, a sheer destructive force that within a few short seconds completely devastated a fleet that had taken years to amass; Taken hundreds of lives in a blink of an eye, erasing them from existence, names lost to the sea and ocean.

Almost if Sera herself knew what had transpired, the sky blackened from the smoke rising in thick solid towers, flaming corpses and debris littered the shores of Azura and the ocean and the seas turned violent, waves launching the casualties of this atrocity back at the shores in broken bundles. Hundreds of locusts spread out throughout the shore looting and taking apart anything worth salvaging that was thrown in their direction. Adam witnesses the destruction that he allowed to happened, before filling a cold hand press against his shoulder and pulled him out of his grief and lament:

Myrrah: Ironic isn't?... -She says, gesturing calmly to the devastation and genocide occurring out there-... They die by the same weapons that they wielded against my people... It ends as it began. -she spoke calmly-... "Poetic Justice" as you humans say, yes?

Adam watched in silence, too shocked at the sight of The COG, Gorasni ships and Aircrafts being decimated by a Plethora of Hammer of Dawn strikes, beams of destruction and death. Palace Guards put shackles then carried the Humans away as a Theron and two Kantuses arrived to take away the eggs found by Myrrah.

Adam: Marcus and delta are safe... Marcus is safe... its all the matters to me... -he thought trying to calm himself but he was shaking, his breath was choppy and his heart rate was up, he was not scared for his own life but Marcus and his team, knowing that their death would seal humanity's fate-

Myrrah: The Future of my people is set thanks to you, Adam... now my people can take what's rightfully ours... -She looks at him smiling-... And you are going to show us the path, starting with a special task I have for you. -she looked so unnatural, her near stoic appearance was how Adam knew Myrrah but her smile seemed genuine and unsettling-

Adam: I- I'll do anything if it means protecting my son. -he said while she walked towards the still functioning Imulsion Countermeasure-

Myrrah: Good~... Then you will not fail me.

THREE DAYS AFTER LAMBENT COUNTERMEASSURE DEPLOYMENT-

Since the capture of Delta and the enslavement of all human survivors from the Battle of Azura, Myrrah had been very busy contacting as many locusts to arrive at Azura with her Hivemind connection; She had felt drained in the first day seeing as she spent nearly thirteen hours contacting her children without much sustenance however it had payed off when her Newest appointed General had arrived to Azura by Gasbarge on the third day, along with a few dozen troops and plenty of ammunition to defend Azura if needed.

This turned out to be a wise choice in foresight as a few hours into the arrival of the General, a human retaliation attack began by a large number of King ravens bombarding Azura with ordinance. Unfortunately the Ravens were no match for siege beasts, one-shot snipers and and overwhelming ordinance, many were dropped while others retreated so they live to fight another day; Some lesser ranked drones where in-charge of leading captured humans into collecting wreckage that washed up shore, things like Fragments of metal, weapons, Sealed ammo containers, armor and even mangled corpses, which were used as Scarecrows to ensure fear and compliance from the slaves.

However Adam was not prepared to see what his special assignment/ first task for Queen Myrrah was:

'General RAAM was defeated on the Tyran Pillar when he attempted to stop the Lightmass bombing, he was shot down by your son, Marcus Fenix, and his allies however their hubris blinded them; they believed they had slain my general, he was merely left to die on that train, My palace guards saved him from falling into the Imulsion and took him to safety' She pulled the sheet that covered the comatose RAAM, his chest was riddled with massive, ugly and severe scars specially in the center of his chest where it seemed that his flesh was ripped apart then new flesh formed but never developed scales. His face was of complete calm slumber, his left eye seemed scarred over but Adam could not tell if he had been blinded. Aside from those wounds, his body seemed relatively normal but malnourished, effect caused by his long coma. Myrrah then continued: 'He must not die in slumber, you will bring him back to the fray and he shall lead the children once more into victory' she proceeded to the next metal table where the second member of the Locusts' leadership lay upon.

'High Priest Skorge took over when RAAM was defeated however he lacked the Battle malice and experience that RAAM possessed, nevertheless he destroyed city after city when he guided the Riftworm in the effort to sink Jacinto. Unfortunately like RAAM before him, Skorge ran into your son' she says with a pinch of anger in her voice. 'They had the audacity of entering Nexus and storming my throne room, shortly after that Skorge took to pursuing them upon a Hydra but he underestimated the humans leading to his mount's untimely demise and Skorge breaking his back on the fall' she looked at Adam then approached him: 'This is your mission now, wake them, have them ready to resume their duties. You have two months, fail and I'll bring you their heads... one by one' with that, she left Adam to start his tasks.

DISTORTION #2: Uzil RAAM survived the Tyran Pillar incident but was left comatose, Kentor Skorge had survived his fall from the Hydra but was left crippled and severely enfeebled and A new general had risen from a exceptionally powerful and cunning mutant drone called Skjall. With the Locust leadership strong, Battle malice and strategic assaults wither away at Human forces using overwhelming strength, numbers and sudden improvised attacks. This would plant the seeds for the locust to become more independent later in the Timeline.

A bit after he started inspecting their wounds, the condition of their bodies and developing hypotheses on how to bring them back something grabbed him by the shoulder, A massive hand with four fingers belonging to the Newest appointed General, Skjall; He was a massive Drone who was barely as tall as RAAM, just a bit taller than Skorge with the physique of a muscular Boomer; He wasn't seemingly obese like the boomers but he was exceptional compared to his fellow Drones, his body was covered in large and tough muscles that gave him nearly supernatural strength. His face was more defined and sharp than a standard drone, resembling a Grenadier but with four large fangs sprouting out his mouth where the canines would be for humans:

Skjall: So you must be "The Smart Human" I've heard when I got here... -he towered over Adam, his blood red and amber eyes stare into Adam's very soul, the gaze was intense and filled with hatred so potent it could kill a lesser being; He spoke near perfect Tyran, his voice was deep and commanding, not as intimating as RAAM's but close-... seems like you're more valuable alive than dead but make no mistake human, don't take our mercy for weakness, you're only useful as long as the Queen allows it. Step out of line and I'll personally make sure you forsake the day you were born. -He warned him before walking off, leaning down as he passed through the clearly smaller doorway-

The General was, like many of his peers, scarred but he was a survivor of the Lightmass bombing on the tunnels, around sixty percent of his body was burnt by the blast, specially the right side of his head was completely covered in very severe burn scars, his eye was surprisingly still intact. His right leg and arm had been replaced by mechanical parts, which gave him a very slight limp and slightly longer arm; His armor looked similar to Sraak's however it was colored black, crimson and silver and he possesses a tattered shroud over his shoulders, that once was a Locust mantle-piece or banner of sorts, burnt most likely by the same blast that scarred him.

Adam: 'General Skjall seems to be a unique drone who's growth has given him massive strength, toughness and intelligence compared to any Locusts I've ever lay eyes upon, Even though he is younger and shorter than RAAM, they both share similar physiologies which means could mean that upon reaching RAAM's age, Skjall could tower over most locust, even become taller and stronger than the Berserkers' -He wrote down on his journals a few minutes after Skjall's departure-

He continued on the work he had cut out for him, injecting solutions and medications into a cluster of IVs connected to RAAM in the efforts that they could speed his healing up. Afterwards he took his Journal and a pen and started to inspect the General's body to get definite picture of how severe the damage accumulated on RAAM's body truly is: 'Main focus for General RAAM's wounds seems to be his chest which has signs of extreme levels of damage, similar to men caught in IEDs back in the pendulum wars. So far I've noticed that his sternum has poorly healed and seems to have grown over itself, mildly constricting his chest cavity. The muscle around the area is relatively tender and soft to the touch compared to the rest of his body which I believe it could have been a Drone's flesh that was taken and grafted onto RAAM's wound as a desperate way to seal the wound, the change in coloring seems to confirm this...' -he finished the paragraph and then checked his breathing which was weak at best but enough to keep him alive, he checked on the IV next which was half empty now (He wondered how did the locusts filled these with blood and how many of locust gave this blood for their General)-

As he was getting ready to move with Skorge, he noticed RAAM's finger twitch ever so softly then stayed still; He was astonished that for him to be comatose for so long that an IV was actually returning the General back so quickly if this wasn't just simply nervous system acting up. 'It would be weeks at this rate, Faster than I could've ever predicted' -he thought before heading towards the door to leave his lab-

He was stopped by a Pair of Palace Guards whom pointed their rifles at him, he raised his hands then spoke to them:

Adam: Tell Queen Myrrah that RAAM's recovery is speeding up, Skorge should follow suit if things proceed as they are. -they looked at each other then nodded before shoving him back into his lab and closing the door behind themselves-

INSIDE THE REMMANTS OF THE MAELSTROM BUILDING-

After the Maelstrom was destroyed by Delta to allow the battle in Azura to begin most of the facility had been buried in rubble but the Miners had been ordered to convert the facility into a prison for the slaves and POWs (Who essentially were Veteran Gears); They've mining since the victory was declared and eventually they started transporting large amounts materials from the inside and taking them away for future use.

One chamber area was made into a large prison cell for special individuals, a cave built into the wall and guarded by a bunch of palace guards and a gate made of scavenged metal and pipes welded together; The Locusts worked fast and around the clock since they took the island, getting even further in the progress thanks to the slaves. Inside the special cell was Delta being held, under constant watch:

Baird: This is shit!... -as he punches the gate on the elevator shaft, which prompted the Palace Guards to aim their weapons at the door which Baird reacted by flipping them off-... God this is just... -he pressed his back against the wall and slid down of it-... shit...

Anya: What do you think they want from us?... insurance? -she asked-

Marcus: Yes, if we're dead, Dad wouldn't willingly work among the locusts... They're using us to force Dad to work for them.

Anya: Then we need to get the fuck out of here, the longer we're here the more destructive the locusts will become... That's if the Professor isn't sabotaging them.

At the other side of the gate, there's a elevator shaft leading to an hollowed out cave connected to the destroyed Maelstrom generator's cooling chamber, this was located two levels below them; The entire area was stripped of all it's mechanical parts and all the destroyed coolant chambers then it was turned into a small outpost. The Locust had been busy mining through the chamber, removing rubble and expanding their cave system in Azura, Miners and some humans have been turned into slaves for the mines, humans that floated ashore after the destruction of the COG and Gorasni ships or those who surrendered after the Hammer struck down their reinforcements.

Some of the more stubborn who were captured were kept in line by the few elites that roam the area, those who served as peacekeepers/executioners; Since the defeat of the Human forces there has been over three-hundred executions for all matter of things from Disobedience, refusing to work (Most of the time the slaves in question where too exhausted to continue), Accidentally breaking tools to even looking the elites or the Palace Guards in the eyes. The Locust kept the members of delta squad away from the slaves to keep human morale low and prevent riots or possible Foul play. Throughout the area plenty of Palace guards and Elite locust roamed, observing and guarding Delta's cell while a plethora of snipers watched over the slaves, crosshairs focusing for headshots in case of revolts, so far they've been successful.

A Palace Guard passed by the Cell and tossed a meager handful of raw vegetables, Seven scoops of rice and a few chunks of overcooked meat of unknown origin into Delta's cell, the flimsy paper plate sitting on top of the pile. With a angry 'EAT' command, the Palace Guard left through the same way he'd came from; The food was barely edible but it was (relatively speaking) enough for all seven prisoners if they could ration themselves: Marcus, Anya, Baird, Cole, Sam, Dizzie and Clayton (Who had been recovering from a severe beating he'd taken from a entire squad of Theron Guards). Before they could eat their meager portions a Grenadier stopped at their gate, looked at the food and spat on it, he chuckled before he smacked in the back of the head by his Elite superior then shoved away:

Samantha: Bastard... -she said looking at the part where the Locust had spat upon, no great loss but a spoonful of the rice which was loss either way-

Dizzie: I hope y'all donn't mind if I take the plate...

He served himself with the plate, he ate his share before passing the plate to Samantha, who then passed to a reluctant Baird, this kept going till all of them ate their share of food; Baird and Cole had to admit that the food, besides being tossed inside like dog-chow, wasn't half bad compared to the MRE's they've eaten in the Gorasni ship while Marcus, Anya and Sam thought of the same thing but from when they were in the submarine, both sides having to eat a quarter and/or half a century old rationed meals.

Cole: We need to find a way to Escape... -he says after he helped Clayton sit upright-

Marcus: I think I know how... -he says as he crosses his arms, staring at the gate and the guards at the other side-

SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE IMULSION COUNTERMEASURE-

Adam was currently pretty tired yet on edge after he was abruptly being woken up by the Ten foot tall Locust General tumbling off the Stretcher, With the help of nearly six different locusts he was returned to the stretcher and held down as the massive RAAM thrashed about in his coma, until Adam had to inject sedatives into his blood stream. After being swatted back by RAAM, Adam recovered a bit of his lost wind and started scanning his cerebral cortex to see what was the cause of the sudden movement. While the scan was nearly completed, Myrrah enters the room, all the locust bowing their heads as she did:

Myrrah: So Adam what you've achieved so far? -she asked as she stood watching his work, curious and somewhat concerned when she saw all the locusts that held the General down-

Adam: RAAM may be recovering a bit too quick, his nervous system went berserk and I was forced to sedate him... -he inspected the brain scan-... Seems his motor functions are recovering but he's still unconscious, possibly stuck in a dream-like state. -he saw her annoyed and disappointed expression and her clenched fist but he spoke first-... At this rate he might awake sooner than I could ever predict.

Myrrah: -she closed her eyes, took a deep breath then spoke-... I'm... pleased with these results. -she states with a bit more stoic expression-... and you should know that your son and company are still alive, congratulations you've bought them two more days. -she scratched her neck a bit, then turned and began walking away, wiping her fingers on a piece of cloth she had tucked underneath one of her armor plates-

Adam: Oh Thank you, Queen Myrrah... -he responded to her as she made it to the door-

As she left, Adam saw around the area of her neck where she had scratch a strange trio of yellow protrusions, they seem to shine a bit but he was unable to tell what it was, he chalked it off to tricks of the mind due to the lack of sleep or a scab forming on a wound caused when she crashed her Tempest seven days ago; The Locust soon left too, leaving RAAM alongside Skorge's stretcher, Adam retired to his bed after he made sure RAAM was strapped to the Stretcher.

THIRTY DAYS AFTER IMULSION COUNTERMEASURE-

"27 DAYS" is written on a chalkboard inside Adam's laboratory, twenty seven long days full of chaos and struggle for the professor; During the fourth day a Riot began when Marcus tricked two drones into fighting each other when he threw a rock a one's head then tossed one to the other, who catches it according to the idea he'd made. When t of Delta he Elites showed up to breakup the fighting drones, Delta snatched the Palace Guard who held the keys, they grabbed the guard through the gate then killed him with his own knife, using this corpse as a shield when the locust figured out the gears' plan. After barely managing to free themselves from the cell, the Gears managed to steal some weapons from a few Locusts, more like they took them after killing them with their own knives or friendly fire. They fought their way through the facility freeing slaves and fighting the Miners that at one occasion rushed the escapees with Pickaxes. Their attempt at escape was stopped by General Skjall and Gasbarges, Delta had no choice than to surrender and tossed in a better cell, deeper in the mines.

During the seventh day RAAM awoke and nearly killed Adam, if it wasn't for Myrrah being in the room he would've torn Adam's head off his shoulders; Myrrah took the battered RAAM away to her chambers to fill the blanks on what had been going own since the Pillar; Adam coughed and wheezed as his neck started to bruise up in the shape of RAAM's monstrous vice-like hand, he tried drinking water but he coughed it up, he sat down on a chair and tried resting but the pain was intense almost like if the General had mere seconds from tearing his head from his shoulders.

In the hours that followed, The Professor tried ignoring what he could hear as muttering of Locusts gossiping or arguing about the General's return, somethings about the destruction of some 'human leader' and more disturbingly what he presumes was a insinuation of RAAM embracing Myrrah; He decided to focus upon his work, which has turned from caring for the Leaders to medically taking care of wounded locusts, like those severely wounded in the latest riot in the pits. At this moment he was assisting the General Skjall who was victim of a grenade blast near his mechanical leg. The General was massive but he was sat down on a metal stretcher awaiting Adam's treatment:

"luckily, His brain is intact , the metal face and head plate would protect it" the Eldest Fenix thought as he looked at the General's face: The entire right side of the General's head now had a black "mask" like armor that resembled a recycled portion of the Cyclope's helmet with the eye lens included right above Skjall's left eye; The plate was loose from the blast so he was tasked in gluing it back to Skjall's skull, he picked a drill so he screw down the bolts back into Skjall's thick skull, blood spurted around Adam's hands as the bolts drove deeper in. Skjall groaned and winced until he finished the procedure. The General's guard handed the professor a blowtorch and grunted at the armor plate which had signs of heavy welding: "Mend the plate back into my flesh, human" he responded as he saw Adam's hesitation. So he did, earning growls of pain in return.

"His torso and right arm are not showing signs of infection or rejection of the new mechanical parts... so far at least" He meant the near 80% of torso flesh that was completely incased in dark armor, similar to how the armor worn by Uzil Sraak once upon a time, wires were tucked away in some nooks between his armor plates. His outer layer of flesh was severely damaged, rent by beasts if Adam's intuition spoke truth however those wounds seemed to have mended and bonded to his armor, veins and muscle fibers glued to the metal. His Left arm in similar state, however the armor was a blackened version of the Savage Grenadier's arm gauntlet.

"Hips, pelvis, tailbone and right leg joint... thigh, knee, ankle and foot, all seem to taken the arguments well, no rejection so far... Locust's mechanical knowledge and ingenuity is quite advance in it's own right" He thinks as he inspects the mechanical pieces for any serious damage on Skjall's body however their integrity seems to be stable. He was inspecting the mechanical parts realizing the extent of Skjall's body modifications, seeing the pistons and tank shock-absorbers on his right leg along with cables, pressure valve and a steam vent.

After the inspection and procedures, Adam was visited by Myrrah who spoke to him about Skjall who was an exceptionally intelligent drone who had led many elites into battle and survived every fight against Lambent he'd had been in; His leadership was certified when the Locust fought off a legion of Lambent in a destroyed human city, or so Myrrah boasted. The mechanical parts on the other hand where caused by his cocky and dismissive attitude towards human strength a few months back, now he was a even more calculating soldier who never underestimates his prey.

Myrrah had made a comment to Adam after the surgeries, That Skjall resembled an old High General named "Sraak" thanks to the procedures; Skjall now stands nearly as tall as General RAAM himself. Adam has no clue who this Sraak was but he's grateful that he's dead, "One less Locust to try to bring back from the edge of death" he though as he kept looking at his notes and Skjall's physique in a double search of any anomalies. The main reason to this increase in height is due to the legs which both were replaced, the entire right leg and from the knee down of the left leg.

Unbeknownst to Adam, Skorge was slowly twitching his eyes slowly opening them and getting used to the light; Adam who know was filling a Syringe with some meds, was unaware of the High Priest turning his head and narrowing his eyes at him, slowly and stealthily grabbing a scalpel and staying still on the stretcher, being fully aware of his broken back. By this time Myrrah enters the room gripping her head then swipes a droplet of blood as it ran down her nose. She sees Adam then after he noticed her, she spoke:

Queen Myrrah: How's their status? -she asked as she saw Skjall leave via the other door of the lab-

Adam: Skjall is Stable but Skorge, I have not checked yet. -he says carrying the syringe in his hand-

By this point RAAM had entered the room, His physique was very skinny compared to his old self but he still looked as Intimidating as ever. As Adam approached, Skorge sprung out of his stretcher, tackling Adam to the ground with a scalper on his hands trying to drive it into Adam's face but he recoiled when RAAM pulled him off Adam, causing the Priest a explosion of pain up his enfeebled back. Myrrah saw how Skorge writhe and squirmed in searing back pain:

Myrrah: Skorge!... -she help him up then left him to sit down upon a stretcher-... This human has betrayed his own race to help us take over Sera, he's our key for the future! -she stood in front of Skorge, RAAM standing indifferently a few feet away-

Skorge: [Key to our future?... This human cur, this heretic is not our future, My Queen!..] -he spoke in a very jumbled speech that Myrrah seemed to understand-

Myrrah: This one is different, as you may tell, he revived you of your coma and has been trying to heal your back. -She looked at Skorge's uneven and heavily damaged back, seeing as his spine's alignment was crooked and uncomfortably shaped-

Skorge looked at Adam, who dragged himself away till he was able to stand up, he then nodded at Myrrah who ordered a few Therons to assist Skorge in moving around; Skorge departed with his escorts then RAAM followed Myrrah out, Leaving Adam to settle his heartbeat and hope that Skjall does not comeback for more repairs. however by the sounds of a far away explosion and the racket going on outside, he knew that Skjall returning was a viable probability.

TWO MONTHS AFTER THE IMULSION COUNTERMEASSURE, SEVEN DAYS AND THREE HOURS AFTER PRISONER RIOT-

Adam had been working less since Skjall intervened and stopped every Riot that had begun on the pits, less locusts were getting killed and even less came to him with bullet wounds to their faces or bodies in general; A month had passed and Myrrah had revealed to Adam that she was sick and whatever it was had begun sprouting crystals around her neck area, which had become Adam's least favorite task to do mostly because RAAM is always watching him as he removed them from Myrrah's neck:

Adam: Myrrah, I'm going to be completely honest with you... I have no idea what is causing these crystals to grow on you without getting the test results. If you don't mind, I must take one of them to study it with more detail and precision... -He said to her, pulling out a Scalpel, making RAAM growl at him as he got closer-

Myrrah: RAAM... It's fine, he knows what happens if he harms me... And Adam, proceed.

The scientist used the scalpel to extract the long shard out of her shoulder, making her moan in pain while the procedure was underway; He placed the crystal on his desk before checking the test results which the computer had determined from the Full Body Scan on the Queen, he picked them up and passed the hot out of the machine document by his watchful eyes, he read through the paper and the news it had...

Adam: Queen Myrrah you're pregnant... -she immediately looked at RAAM with a shook and a smile in her face-

These memories had now disappeared, loud explosions from afar pulled Adam out of his journal & Pen, he looked out his window then saw as the Prisoners once more escaped and fought their way back up the Locust landing platform built to connect the Queen's fort and the rest of the Hotel area; The Landing Platform was about the half of a Thrashball field, it was still in construction but the stairs and elevator shafts had been put into place.

The Prisoners, as many more besides them, were armor-less men and women, wielding guns from fallen Locusts, among them were three torque bows. In the last twenty days, Much of the paths that Delta One and Company used to reach Adam's floor are now blocked with thick walls with a new entrance next to where once sat a window; That entranced opened only from the outside to the landing pad, where a gondola system made for Locust Officials like Volds [Lieutenants], Kravs [Captains], Vurls [Sergeants], Zamil [General] Skjall, Uzil [High General] RAAM, Ketor [High Priest] Skorge, Queen's Guard as well the Queen herself could use to easily travel around Azura.

The sheer size of the Riot was massive, it had taken the entire number of the miners to break free but they've done it, Veteran Gears led the charge and with fierce determination they swept through the locusts defenders. They ran up through a stairwell made by the locusts, killing them and looting items of value like grenades, ammo or weapons if they ran out of hate to fire. the stairwell separated into three different levels, each level was fortified and swarming with the locusts whom refused to allow the humans to reach Queen Myrrah.

A Gasbarge tried to leave the first floor but it's pilot was killed by Clayton who tossed a Grenade at the drone, the humans boarded it and Baird begun to (attempt) to program the Coordinates for them to escape Azura, Samantha Byrne and Anya Stroud covered him while Marcus Fenix was getting some overdue payback by killing dozens of locusts with a Boomshot Turret mounted on the side of the Gasbarge. Palace Guards ran down from the second floor but pushed back when Marcus and Cole fired at the stairs with the boomshots.

RAAM and Myrrah charged outside Adam's room in a rush that they left the door open, Adam looked around and did not see his normal guards around so he walked carefully to the door but as he had passed his first foot through the frame, General Skjall stood in front of the door, staring down at the Human with a massive weapon on his hands, he reloaded the cannon then smiled as he stare at Adam:

Skjall: Wish to escape? -asked the Near Cyborg Locust to Adam in a suspicious yet curious way-... I could grant you a quick death if you're honest with me Human, perhaps I hunt the leader of this insurgency and bring him to you so you can witness his or her demise for yourself. -he warned as he readied his weapon with a loud set of clicks-... What is your choice?

Adam: I shall not leave without my son and his allies, help the locusts or not. -he responds-... I know it would be a mercy if you'd killed me right now, would you risk my life for Myrrah's wrath? -he said out of spite-

Skjall: You're... one of us now, you shall help us till you die or we don't need you. -he responded-... You are a brave one, braver than most humans I've encountered however I'm not one to ignore the truth, Killing you would not benefit me in any way so for now enjoy your stay with us, your time is numbered. -he smiles evilly before heading out and firing his weapon at a departing Gasbarge, hitting it and causing it to crash back down on to the landing pad-

Before Adam could see if Marcus was in the crash, Skjall shoved him with enough force to launch him back through a table, scattering documents and medical instruments around, the general laughed then closed the door behind him.

FIVE MONTHS AFTER IMULSION COUNTERMEASSURE, THREE MONTHS SINCE MYRRAH'S PREGNANCY-

Since Myrrah's confirmed Pregnancy, RAAM had become a bit paranoid about security in her chambers, more after Adam made a test to see how was the fetus growing and to his shock and Myrrah's: She was expecting triplets, two boys and one girl [this hypothesis came to Adam, if his mind is not failing him]. Myrrah was proud and happy but at the same time she felt distressed that due to the pregnancy she wouldn't be able to Lead her people to victory, thanks to Adam this problem got solved as the conundrum that it was:

Adam: RAAM, Skjall and Skorge could lead the Locust while you're in resting, the stress of being a leader could harm the fetuses. -he explained to her-... It can harm you and the kids if it becomes more severe.

Myrrah: -defeated sigh-... You're right... -looks at RAAM-... Skjall and Skorge will lead under you General, Is that clear?

RAAM: Yes, My Queen. -he said in his trademark badass Theron voice-... It shall be done.

Myrrah: It seems It's time to continue with our plans... -she sat up-... In the Following months, we invade Anvil Gate.

TEN MONTHS AFTER IMULSION COUNTERMEASSURE, EIGHT NEAR NINE MONTHS SINCE MYRRAH'S PREGNANCY, 2½ MONTHS SINCE ARRIVING TO THE DEADLANDS VIA GASBARGES, 24 HOURS SINCE THE ASSAULT'S BEGINNING ON THE HUMAN OUTPOSTS SURROUNDING ANVIL GATE-

Unlike the Original timeline where by the time of the Imulsion countermeasure's detonation, Anvil Gate's destruction was saved from the Locusts, In this dimension the locust left after witnessing the countermeasure's detonation then retreated shortly after Myrrah contacted them via the Hivemind. They headed into the badlands and disappeared into the trenches, awaiting the queen's commands.

24 hours ago, High General RAAM ordered Skjall to oversee the capture of camps and tiny outposts that have sprouted on Anvil Gate's surrounding areas while Skorge was told to personally oversee the capture of Anvil Gate while RAAM himself would recruit the Savage Locust back; Adam would be in charge of keeping a close eye on the bedridden Queen, who's condition worsened and the pregnancy was weakening her. Due to this being her second pregnancy and the fact that she has three kids growing within her womb, her body was feeling to heavy and too sore to get out of bed, the back pains and other symptoms like the yellow shards growing around body weren't helping her health. Adam deduced that she has around a week or two before she would be giving birth.

As surprisingly as it may sound, This situation was so delicate that the thought of Marcus and Company was a mere passing thought, floating in his crowded mind, he was mostly focused on the babies survival; The Royal Guard respected Adam to a certain degree, seeing as more than a few of them have been patients of Adam whom patched them up or saved their lives, most of them victim to Gorasni survivors from the ships. One of the guards that watched him and the Queen was one of his patients, while the other was a replacement when his old one was killed in a riot.

Myrrah: Adam!... -she sounded in pain-... I think its tim- AAAH! -She yelled in pain while squirming on the stretcher, fluids leaking out of her and onto the ground-

Adam: Guards I need assistance!... she's going into labor! -he shouted out the door of his lab's door-

He yelled as he rushed to the room with sterile gloves and a medical mask, He scrambled around to find towels to get the area ready for the babies birth. After the therons returned and placed a bunch of towels underneath Myrrah, Adam was ready to assist in this event, it being the first time he'd done anything of this sort:

Adam: Myrrah, now Push! -as he said it Myrrah screamed in pain by the contractions and pushed-

MEANWHILE, DEEPER INTO THE DEADLANDS IN OUTPOST-

RAAM was leading a legion of Non-Savage Locust towards the Outpost's courtyard, Ordering them to stand guard and watch close as the Savages appeared and pointed their weapons from the second floor, The General stepped forward carrying his modified handheld Troika turret, he looked towards the outpost master: An Savage Theron with black armor and a dried blood covered retro lancer:

RAAM: {Serve the Queen, Join me in Human Destruction...} -he told the Outpost Master, who jumped down to the courtyard-

The General ordered his troops to stand down, Letting the Outpost Master pass closer to him; Now with them standing toe to toe, the Outpost Master responded:

Outpost Master: {Why should we?... you failed us once, the queen left us to die... so why should we join your carrion?} -the Theron spoke in the locust tongue, looking at the Uzil of the Locust, his rifle in his right hand, as he spoke the other Savage roared in response to the outpost master's spoken facts-

RAAM: {We are stronger now... Humans weak and easy are kill, if you join us we give you a outpost for all your Kin...} -RAAM kept his cool and spoke with authority yet with necessity of reinforcements towards this endeavors-

Outpost Master: {Prove that you are Strong!... -crowd roared, following their leader's every word-... We would assist but if we find your troops weak, we kill all... human and weak kin, "Uzil" RAAM...} -he sternly said to his face, which pissed off RAAM, He proceeded to turn around to address his fellow savages-

RAAM: {Only the strong lead an Army...} -RAAM Pulled his Dagger out and impaled the Outpost Master in the back, the tip of the dagger appearing to have pierced something important, before pushing him to the ground, Making the outpost master crawl sobbing, moaning and grunting in pain- {This is what true strength looks like... -looks to the stunned savage troops-... He's too weak to lead you, strong warriors with weak leader... FALL!... Strong Warriors with Strong leader... RISE AND KILL ALL THE WEAK!} -He walked towards the bleeding Outpost Master, he picked him up by the neck, showing him to the savages- {Who do you Follow?!... WEAK LEADERS!} -The Savages roared "NO WEAK"- {OR STRONG LEADER!?} -The savages roared "yes!" as RAAM broke the Outpost Master's neck and tosses his body to the side- {Then All who Strong, Follow us to WAR!}

The savages rised up and weapons in the air as they roared in Allegiance, RAAM secretly grinned to himself as he'll make his mate and Queen the ruler of all Sera in no time, in a world without human, a better world for his children that soon would see their work; He'll make this world free of human impurity for them. But for now, he'll continue taking over all the Savage outposts, building an Army of Savages to march it down the Humans' Fort and later, all across Sera, eradicating their curse.

WITH SKJALL, THREE MILES AWAY FROM ANVIL GATE, HUMAN CHECKPOINT-

Skjall has been leading his troops in loop around the checkpoint, surrounding the area; One of his Therons silently killed a Gear who was taking a leak by impaling him in the throat with Torque Arrow, Luckily it did not explode when he used the arrow as a improvised Knife. Skjall took position on a rocky hill overlooking the checkpoint, he had ordered his troops to wait till he opened fire so they could engage; He ready his Black colored Boomcannon, aka two boomshots welded together with a single trigger.

He pointed his enormous gun towards the tent in the center of the checkpoint, where the hammer of dawn keeper was; he knew this by seeing the weapon that summoned that beam of death in action in an earlier battle. Pulling the trigger, then in a matter of five seconds the humans inside the tent where shredded to gibs and the rest of the locust, specially the Boomers sprung out of their hideouts and made quick work of the shell-shocked Gears. It took a solid minute for Skjall to reach the smoldering remains of the checkpoint, seeing that four Gears where captured, among them a new sight for Skjall: A Female Human wearing the Gear uniform.

Theron: Kill? -it asked its general whom stood in front of the four survivors-

Skjall: Not Yet... -3/4 of the gears seemed to fear the current situation but the Gear in the middle was still showing resistance, all a bit surprised by the command-...Humans send females to battle now?... Pathetic, they run out of soldiers so they bring women to fight, it seems victory is closer that we presumed my fellow brothers... -the locust had a mixed response to that: Laughter, cheering or taunts against humans were thrown. the Gears were stunned to her a locust speak near perfect English-... Leave the female to me, the rest... do what you wish.

The locust dragged the screaming Male Gears away before essentially beating them to death as all took their hits against the soldiers while Two Boomers took the girl towards their Zamil:

Gear: Let go of me you ugly sons of bitches! -she struggled to no avail to these Boomer's grip-

Skjall: A Lively one... Good, you'll serve me perfectly...

Gear: I'll never serve you!... disgusting Fuck!

Skjall: -grips her neck entirely with a single hand- ...Alas, you will bring your fellow "Gears" a message for me, One that they will never forget... -he said to her as he took her Retro Lancer's bayonet, broke it off and carved out her eye as she screamed in agony-

AT ANVIL GATE, SKORGE'S LEGIONS-

Meanwhile Skjall and RAAM did their objectives, Skorge was unleashing hell upon Anvil Gate and its resident battalion of Human army of the COG; The siege beasts and Boomers kept the COG from moving the front of the fort while the grapplers leaped up and storm the fort. The gate to the fort was filled in by rubble and while the locust breached the facility, Skorge rode a Reaver which fired rockets towards the inside of the fort in sweeps.

The Gears fought hard, preventing the locust from gaining extra ground all due to the addition of a impromptu wall of NPCs armed with turrets and defending it where a few Gears wielding Hammer of Dawn pointers, Boomshots, Oneshots, Looted Torque Bows and Longshots, which was enough to keep the Locust Horde from advancing even further into the Anvil Gate; Skorge knew that the tide would turn if he disabled the Hammer of Dawn but Kryllstorms will require special reavers and plenty of Kryll but RAAM was the only one with the knowledge to summon the kryll (And the fact they're extinct also meant that idea was dead in the water).

Skorge: {ATTACK!} -He yelled as he fired more rockets towards the APCs but they took the shots with little effect, while he took damage from gunners down below-

Maulers and Grinders were stuck outside due to the main entrance blocked by rubble, so some locust began attempting to carve holes into the walls so their brothers could enter, the sight of the hammer was enough to make them speed the process of the dig. Skorge knew that upon dusk, the edge will be for the locust at pitch dark situations... But till that, The Locust Horde and the COG in Anvil Gate were in a stalemate.

TEN MONTHS AFTER IMULSION COUNTERMEASSURE, 32 HOURS AND 22 MINUTES SINCE THE ASSAULT'S BEGINNING ON THE HUMAN OUTPOSTS SURROUNDING ANVIL GATE AND EIGHT HOURS SINCE THE BIRTH OF MYRRAH'S NEW CHILDREN-

RAAM had been watching over the three younglings, Nanáriä which was the girl, Kruk and Krúl which are the twin boys; Nana has the similar appearance of Myrrah while her brothers looked like a smoother skinned version of RAAM himself. Their eyes were not developed completely so they're currently blind but what Adam could Hypothesis was that Nana was going to most likely have Orange, Blue or Yellow eyes as he was unsure of which gene would manifest first but he was 100% sure that the twins will be gaining with RAAM's eye color.

He was Oddly intrigued by how Nana had Myrrah's appearance but she does not have scales running around her body, then again she was born simply eight hours ago, another thing that made him curious is that unlike her brothers she had come out the womb with a small patch of dark silver hair and her mouth has four teeth already out: Her Canines which are short in length but very sharp all the meanwhile her other teeth weren't developed yet. The Twins seem to have a great bond as upon being laid on the little "Crib" tied held on to each others' hand firmly while sleeping and cried if separated, these are things that Adam noticed. Nana had taken her fill of her mother's maternal nectar and quickly fallen to slumber on RAAM's unarmored arms, the twins are laying on top of Myrrah's bust, using her breasts as pillows after they fed... All around, the three looked incredibly adorable if one does not mind their ash white skin/semi-developed Scales.

RAAM had called upon his Elites to assist Skorge as he has been unable to break the stalemate in these last eight hours. Locust Elite are a rare sight upon the battlefield since the attack back in Halvo Bay and Ilima back when E-Day had occurred within a few days or hours; To this day RAAM still sees Halvo Bay as his race's greatest failure considering that Zamil Karn brought upon the waves of Locust Elite only for most of them being eradicated either by situations of "Wrong place at the wrong time" including but not limited to a Human home rigged with bombs near the Big Mansion, Poisonous Gas within a Onyx guard training facility and an Onslaught of Hammer of Dawn strikes in an Old town. He also felt a twinge of Shame when he remembered the occasion when Karn decided to Ambush a Elite group of Gears called "Kilo" with two or three dozen of Berserk Ragers and a few Elite Maulers yet the humans won that confrontation.

RAAM snapped out of memory lane and began going towards his eyes in the outpost when he's not around, The Royal Guard, he gave them the usual orders: Guard Queen, Watch the Human, Protect Outpost and with the addition of a new order which was to protect the younglings. After that RAAM got on his Reaver, Knowing that his elites would take a few days to show up from the closest Outpost they have in their possession: The Centennial Bridge.

TO BE CONTINUED...