"Frankly, other than the fact that they want to kill every man, woman, and child out there, we know nothing about them. We've tagged them Locust since this degree of death has only been seen in times of plague. They're subterranean in nature. That's obvious. Aside from that, I'm afraid..."

—An unidentified human scientist dubbing the name of the Locust.^[1]

The Locust, often called Grubs by Serans, are a race of genetically altered humans. Originating from genetic experiments at the New Hope Research Facility and Mount Kadar Secret Research Laboratory, the Locusts were created by mutating human children with Imulsion and Hollow creature DNA and combining them with the embryonic stem cells of Myrrah, a human female genetically immune to Imulsion's ill-effects. Following their violent uprising and gaining independence, they established their civilization in the subterranean regions of Sera, known as the Hollow. Capable of technology, culture, and language; they have the same aptitude as humans to become the dominant species on Sera.

Etymology

"We've tagged them Locust since this degree of death has only been seen in times of plague."

—Unnamed scientist explaining the naming of the Locust.

Locust insects are a species of grasshoppers that cause famine as they rapidly strip fields and damage crops during droughts. Inspired by the widespread death caused by their presence, the scientists responsible for the creation of the Locusts named them after the locust insects. The Locust hybrids were designed as enhanced soldiers that were highly controllable, otherwise designed to cause widespread death when commanded.

Evolution

"My work [at New Hope] began as an effort to cure children ill with Rustlung. But it grew into something far more significant. The COG wanted medicine. I gave them gods."

—Dr. Niles Samson

In the early Pendulum Wars, shortly after the creation of the Lightmass Process, the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) discovered that Imulsion caused adverse health effects in humans, namely a fatal respiratory condition called Rustlung. Unknown to scientists at the time, Imulsion was a parasitic fungus that spread through fumes, which acted as infectious spores. Those most afflicted with Rustlung were Imulsion miners and their children, who were born with notable birth defects. Due to likely economic and political ramifications by public reaction to health issues related to Imulsion mining and usage, the COG, under Chairman Monroe and the Department of Health, established the New Hope Research Facility to study the Imulsion miners' children and develop treatment. The facility was put under the supervision of renowned geneticist Doctor Niles Samson and began his research by injecting children with concentrated doses of Imulsion. It was discovered that Imulsion exposure caused immediate cell stress and degradation, but occasionally caused point mutations in the body which he saw as beneficial rather than harmful. A female child named Myrrah exhibited a unique genetic reaction to Imulsion. After becoming immune to its ill-effects, Myrrah displayed positive cellular regeneration, decelerated aging, and a highly-responsive immune system when exposed to Imulsion. Samson hoped to replicate Myrrah's beneficial Imulsion reaction in the other children, but ultimately failed.

During a field expedition, Samson observed that indigenous creatures of the Hollow, such as the Riftworms, were unaffected by Imulsion and believed them to be immune due to their cohabitation. Samson utilized Imulsion's recombinant properties for transgenic experiments by inserting the DNA of the Hollow animals into the children, transforming them into chimeras that Samson called the Sires - named for their potential to begin a new race of humans. The Sires continued to mutate and resulted in becoming unstable. Many subjects lost their sanity and higher brain functions, becoming highly aggressive and difficult to control. The only Sire to maintain his sanity was Ukkon, patient zero of the program. Ukkon became increasingly intelligent, while just as sadistic as the other subjects, and developed the ability of accelerated healing. Deemed physically immortal, the scientists created a failsafe with cytostatic gas, made from fluorouracil and RZ50. When exposed, it would cause Ukkon's accelerated healing to temporarily cease and make him vulnerable. Samson saw Ukkon's abilities as potential for creating enhanced soldiers for the COG Army and ending the Pendulum Wars.

The violent and sadistic nature of the Sires resulted in numerous attacks on the staff at New Hope. Due to the unsafe work environment and unethical experiments, many employees resigned and leaked information to the public. New Hope guard Private Sid Redburn was disturbed by Ukkon and the treatment of children done there. He alerted Colonel Tolman, who reported New Hope's activities to Chairman Monroe. Once Monroe became aware of the work at New Hope, the facility was ordered to shut down and all scientists involved were indicted. Before the shut down, a fringe political group within the COG believed in Samson's work. They offered to relocate him, his remaining loyal staff, and key subjects to a private, hidden facility in the Kadar Valley where he could continue his work without impeding ethics or bureaucracy. Samson accepted their invitation and relocated his work to the laboratory in the underground caverns of Mount Kadar. The creation of the Sires was kept secret from the public. Only a few select people within the COG knew of their existence and origin.

History

Creation

"In our previous facility, we had problems with genetic stability. The Sires were... distempered. And sterile. A problem, for obvious reasons. But the Locust were different. Highly controllable. The perfect soldiers. And blessedly able to reproduce. Their cells [made them different]. You see, the Imulsion miners' children provided a marvelous genetic repository... as did the indigenous creatures of the Hollow. [...] But when the extent of one very special child's genetic immunity to Imulsion became clear, our work began to soar. [...] That of course, is Myrrah. Or as you know her - Queen Myrrah. [...] Her stem cells were delightfully complementary to Sire DNA."

—Dr. Niles Samson explaining to Cpl. Kait Diaz the creation of the Locust Horde.

At the Mount Kadar facility, Samson attempted to hybridize Sire DNA with embryonic stem cells. These resulted in disfigured offspring that were either stillborn or died shortly after. Following many failed attempts, Samson turned to Myrrah's embryonic stem cells and combined with Sire DNA. It was breakthrough in creating the first hybrid: the Matriarch. A female, she was able to produce male offspring that were genetically stable, healthy, and fertile. These hybrids were tagged as Locust for their potential to cause widespread death, similar to the insects of the same name. Because Imulsion and Myrrah's embryonic stem cells were used to create the Locust, a psychomagnetic link called the Hivemind was discovered between Myrrah, the Matriarch, and all Locust species. The scientists learned that without a functioning Queen, the Locust became unguided and unable to learn or grow. Doctor Torres built a device that would subdue the Matriarch and strengthen her connection with Myrrah by beaming into her temporal lobe, amplifying Myrrah's telepathic powers.

Thousands of the Locust were created in the lab and were placed in cages or stasis tanks. Using the genetics from other animals, Samson designed the Locust with the ability to hibernate and evolve should their environment require it to survive generational conflict. While they were studied by the scientists, the Locust were taught combat and to communicate through lexigram boards. Eventually, the Locust were able to speak Tyran. While the majority could only speak uttering single words or phrases at a time, a select few of higher intelligence and connection to Myrrah could speak fluently. Myrrah's presence in the Hivemind allowed the Locust the ability to learn exponentially and become self-aware. As time went on, the Locust desired independence as they felt imprisoned and tortured by the scientists, but were unable to achieve their freedom without a leader. As an adult, Myrrah initiated a romantic relationship with Torres, which resulted in the birth of their daughter, Reyna. It was discovered that Reyna had inherited her mother's immunity, decelerated aging, and connection to the Locust Hivemind.

Independence

"[Reyna] was born here -- and taken from us by her spineless father. Thus causing young Myrrah's unfortunate rebellion."

—Doctor Niles Samson revealing the cause of Myrrah's rebellion in the Mount Kadar Laboratory.

Torres grew apprehensive that his daughter would be experimented on and fled the facility with her. Unable to recapture them, Samson lied to Myrrah that Reyna and Torres had died in the escape attempt. Distraught, Myrrah resented the human scientists for supposedly killing her daughter and forcing her to be imprisoned and tortured. Through empathizing with her Locust children, she discovered that they held the same feelings and longed for independence. Myrrah no longer identified as human, and instead believed she was one with the Locust.

Myrrah led the Locust in an uprising against the soldiers and scientists in the Mount Kadar lab. Using pipes and discarded weapons from killed soldiers, the Locust slaughtered the scientists and liberated the others from their cells and stasis tanks. During this, Samson was mortally wounded. In order to keep the facility contained, he issued a facility-wide lockdown and initiated a cryogenic purge of the facility. The surviving scientists and a portion of the rebelling Locust were killed from this action, but Myrrah and the majority of the Locust managed to escape into the underground caverns of Mount Kadar. Myrrah recognized the Locust would not be welcomed on the surface, especially since their existence was proof of their unethical experiments at New Hope, and compelled her Locust to travel further underground into the Inner Hollow. They initially built a settlement on the shore of an underground lake, but later they relocated to a cave containing the largest reserve of Imulsion on Sera.

On the cliffs surrounding the Imulsion lake, the Locust built their capital city of Nexus. To protect their Queen, the Locust constructed her palace out of a massive stalactite hanging over the Imulsion lake. As the Locust constructed Nexus, they developed aspects of their culture. Inspired by Samson's discovery of the Riftworms, the Locust revered them as their Gods - as they were responsible for the creation of the Hollow and the life within from their manure. A religion was founded in worship of these worms, known as the Trinity of Worms. The belief system also revered the Queen, the Sires, and Nexus. This further compounded the Locust's desire to protect and serve Myrrah, as the basic tenants of the Trinity of Worms is that the Drones would secure Nexus, which would protect the Queen, and the Queen would continue to make strong Drones. The adherents to this religion were mainly those of the Kantus race, who were capable of controlling various Hollow creatures including the Riftworm and Rockworms. The Kantus would also lead hunting parties, as Rockworms were a main source of protein in the Locust's diet. The Temple of the Trinity was constructed in Nexus to house the Kantus caste, led by the High Priest, or Ketor. The original Ketor was Droak the First.

As the Locust continued to grow, they also developed a science division, led by Chief Scientist Ukkon. A Sire of extreme intellect, he and Myrrah had been personally groomed by Samson. Knowledgeable in genetic research, Ukkon discovered a process and serum that allowed them to transform a human into a Locust, rather than transforming them into a Sire and then producing a Locust. Over the next several decades, the Locust would kidnap thousands of people from the surface. Using the Pendulum Wars as a cover, the humans never suspected the disappearances weren't related to anything else other that the war. The main target of the kidnappings were, however, children. The Locust would also kidnap soldiers from the COG Army and UIR Infantry. The human prisoners that were not transformed into Locusts were kept as laborers and slaves to help build Nexus, as well as feed to the various Hollow creatures enslaved by the Locust or to torture to satisfy their own bloodlust. Using Imulsion and other feats of genetic engineering, Ukkon began enhancing and hybridizing the various animals in the Hollow for various purposes such as labor, food, or military purposes.

To better defend themselves, the Locust also created the Locust Army. Using discarded human trash and technology found in the landfills of the Hollow, the Locust constructed armor, transportation, and weapons - such as the Hammerburst Assault Rifle and Breechshot. In a ranking system similar to human militaries, the Locust Army was lead by a High General, or Uzil. The original Uzil was Sraak, the largest Locust Drone and one of the first from the Mount Kadar lab who helped lead the uprising. He believed, along with Myrrah, the the Hollow was the Locust's birthright and fervently defended it. With no real threat in the Hollow other than the occasional feral, indigenous creature; the Locust would maintain that no human would be allowed in Nexus. They would either be captured to be transformed or enslaved, or killed on sight. As the main tenants of Locust civilization were formed, they convened on the Locust Council, in which they would meet with Queen Myrrah in the Royal Palace and inform her on all matters related to religion, science, and defense. On the original council were Myrrah, Ukkon, Ketor Droak, and Uzil Sraak. At some point, Droak died and was succeeded by his apprentice, Vrol. With their civilization intact, the Locust Horde was formed.

Lambent War

In the two decades before emergence, various creatures in the Hollow were becoming infected with Lambency, an Imulsion-based, fungal and parasitic disease. Once infected, the host would become Lambent. The Lambent were called as such by Myrrah due to the Imulsion causing their flesh and orifices to glow with the same golden hue. They were susceptible to extreme mutations and were highly aggressive, violently attacking non-infected organisms in order to infect or kill them in self-defense. At the end of a Lambent's life-cycle, they would self-detonate in a large explosion that would disperse the Imulsion within, and with it the Imulsion fumes which were discovered to be spores, thus causing the infection to spread in death. The most commonly infected creature in the Hollow were Wretches, in which millions would become Dark Wretches. Initially a security issue of rabid animals, the Locust began experiencing the same Lambent plague as Locust would become infected. This included Drones that would later evolve into Drudges, Boomers, and Berserkers. By 7 B.E., the Locust Army began a civil war against the infected Locust.

The Lambent War for the Locust would become a lost cause. Not only were there more Lambent than Locust, but the Locust in battle would either die or become Lambent. The Locust would continually lose the frontline, while their enemy managed to replenish their ranks from Locust causalities. While Uzil Sraak kept the line in the Hollow, believing it could be defended and won, Queen Myrrah had her doubts. Initially, she considered enlisting human aid, as the Lambent problem would also become an issue for the humans, as well. But Myrrah was reminded of humanity's cruelty and the need to control and destroy. She realized the humans would never accept the Locust, especially when their existence is proof of the COG's illegal activity. Myrrah then began devising plans for evacuating the Hollow by means of invading the surface and waging a genocidal war. In 5 A.E., Myrrah was contacted by Professor Adam Fenix, a human physicist, who had come looking for his wife, Doctor Elain Fenix. A biologist, Elain had discovered the Locust in 9 B.E. and made plans to reveal them to the public, but she was found and executed by the Locust. Adam followed his wife's journals to the Locust and offered to communicate with them.

Myrrah agreed to meet with Professor Adam Fenix. Seeing his potential in both knowledge and access to resources, Myrrah revealed to him the Lambent problem and how she was considering invading the surface to escape them. Adam agreed to assist with the Lambent outbreak as long as Myrrah kept her people underground. Adam spent the following five years attempting to resolve the Lambency. However, Adam was a physicist and not a biologist. He also was split between the Locust and assisting the COG Army with the Hammer of Dawn (HoD) in order to end the Pendulum Wars. Plus, the Imulsion was highly mutagenic and would evolve against any biological countermeasure. The only solution that would be feasible would be to use radiation, as Elain had once suggested with cancer by using radiotherapy. The issue was that since the Locust were so closely tied to Imulsion, which was used in their creation, any solution to Lambency would also negatively affecting the Locust. After years of waiting for Adam, Myrrah decided to break her truce and resume her plans for the invasion of the surface. Locust soldiers RAAM and Skorge believed the Hollow was doomed to be occupied by the Lambent. In order to grant an audience with Myrrah to convince her to invade the surface, they had General Karn abandon the Gorgon Front to allow the Lambent into Locust territory. The attack was repealed, and the coup was a success. Sraak was demoted, and RAAM was promoted to Sraak's original ranking. With Myrrah, RAAM began crafting plants for their invasion.

Locust War

Six weeks after the Pendulum Wars, the Locust began their invasion on the surface in a [[Locust War}full-scale, coordinated genocide]] known as Emergence Day. Within the first 26 hours, over 25% of the human population was killed. The Locust were successful in the planet-wide assault and continued a campaign to conquer the surface. By 1 A.E., most nations fell to the Locust as they were advancing Sera. One of the few locations safest on the planet were Tyran cities on the Jacinto Plateau, in which the natural granite bedrock prevented Locust digging. Despite this, the Locust earning the spoils of war would guarantee their victory. Aware of this, the COG initiated the Hammer of Dawn to scorch 90% of the planet in Locust-infested urban centers. Following the Hammer of Dawn strikes, the Locust retreated to the Hollow. While successful in their first year of the war, the Locust had lost prominent members of the Horde including former Uzil Sraan, Zamil Karn, and Chief Scientist Ukkon.

The Locust reemerged in 5 A.E. during the Winter of Sorrow.

Interwar Period

Swarm Invasion

Notable Locust

• Myrrah - Queen
• Reyna Diaz - Queen
• Kait Diaz - Queen
• Matriarch - Berserker, Queen and progenitor of the Locust
• RAAM - Drone, High General
• Sraak - Drone, High General
• Karn - Drone, General
• Jermad - Drone, Captain
• Gurst - Drone, Captain
• Speaker - Drone (later Scion), prominent Locust soldier
• Theron Elite - Drone, Theron Guard
• Praax - Drone, Private
• Captured Drone - Drone, Private
• Ukkon - Sire, Chief Scientist
• Skorge - Kantus, High Priest
• Vrol - Kantus, High Priest
• Droak - Kantus, High Priest
• Scarred Kantus - Kantus, Acolyte

Habitat and population

The Locust's initial habitat was the Hollow, the cavern system network beneath the surface of Sera. Despite building their civilization here, they did not naturally exist in the Hollow. Their ancestors were humans on the surface of Sera who were mutated by genetic experiments involving Imulsion and Hollow creature DNA. These ancestors, the Sires, were transported to an underground facility beneath Mount Kadar where the work of Niles Samson could continue in solitude. When the Locust were created and rebelled against the human scientists, they escaped into the Hollow of Mount Kadar. They initially made their first settlement on the shore of an underground lake before relocating to a massive Imulsion lake and built the capital city of Nexus around it.

It is unknown the true number of Locust population, especially considering their significant death tolls during the Lambent War, Locust War, and Lambent Pandemic. Based on depictions of their invasions, it's possible there are more than several million Locusts and perhaps even hundreds of millions. Their population would be restocked by sexual reproduction or by processing human prisoners into Locusts.

Biology

Anatomy and physiology

The physiology of the Locust varies among their several races, but all members of the Locust were bipedal, muscular, tough skinned, scaled, and taller than at least six feet. Their bones were heavier and showed signs of extensive thickening. The Locust required oxygen, though they seemed somewhat more resistant to environmental hazards, most likely due to their harsh, native environment. The Locust had large eyes with excellent depth perception despite the fact that they were a subterranean race. They had a noted vulnerability to flash overcompensation response (flash-blindness), a weakness that many offset with polarized goggles or blinders. It was strongly believed that the Locust could see perfectly in total darkness and most seemed to possess superior senses of smell, being able to tell the difference between a Locust and a human.

After the detonation of the Imulsion countermeasure, the bodies of the Locust began to crystallize into an impenetrable, Imulsion crystalline shell. The Imulsion that had once colonized their cells and DNA were extracted and ruptured from their skin. This was caused by their genetic trait designed Dr. Niles Samson - to evolve against any threat in order to survive generational conflict. This involved a prolonged hibernation while the Locust were cocooned and transformed into an evolved species. The Locust had undergone a twenty-five year hibernation in which they evolved inside their shells, becoming Scions. When the Locust Scions emerged, they grew in height and size, and most of the Locust scales were absent. The scales that remained were fragments left from the Imulsion crystals penetrating the skin.

Genetics

The Locust are a unique hybridization of human, Imulsion, Hollow animals. Their ancestors were originally human children afflicted with Rustlung and further mutated by consequent Imulsion exposure and implantation of Hollow creature DNA, resulting in them becoming the Sires. Sire DNA was then combined with the embryonic stem cells of Myrrah, a human female child that appeared to be the only subject genetically immune to Imulsion and become stronger in response to it. This hybridization resulted in the Matriarch, who established the collective consciousness of the Hivemind. All Locust beings and humans directly related to Myrrah shared this connection, which is a genetic algorithm located in the temporal lobe. In addition to carrying a unique genotype, Imulsion, and connection to the Hivemind - the Locust also contained specialized genetics created by Dr. Samson. An evolutionary trait was designed into the Locust. Should the environment prove too hospitable for the Locust, this evolutionary trait will result in the Locust evolving against these conditions through chrysalis and prolonged hibernation.

Life cycle

There are two potential life cycles of a Locust. The first, and most common, life cycle is sexual reproduction. It is unknown how long the pregnancy lasts, or how many infants the mother can carry, but male Drones will sexually reproduce with female Berserkers who will then give birth to the Locust children. It is also unknown how long an infant Drone lasts until it becomes physically and sexually mature. It's possible the process is very fast, considering it can hours or even minutes for a Juvie to transform into an Imago from the Swarm.

The second potential life cycle comes from transforming a grown human into a Locust. Humans are taken prisoner for many reasons - namely to keep as slaves, to feed to the Hollow beasts, or to satiate the Locusts' appetite for torture and violence upon their enemies. Another reason is for the Locust to transform a human into a Drone to restock their numbers. Lead scientist Ukkon discovered a genetic concoction, likely merged with raw Imulsion. Humans would be placed in stasis tanks, attached to the device, and injected with the substance.

Diet

While the diet of the Locust has been speculated to be comprised of human flesh and Imulsion, their diet is actually comparable to humans. The Locust will eat Hollow vegetation, namely glowbes, and the flesh from various Hollow creatures such as the Rockworms and Brumaks. The Locust also drink water from naturally occurring lakes in the Hollow.

Biological variation

Drone		Drones are the most common race of the Locust. While usually at least six feet, it was possible for Drones to grow to twelve feet in height. In terms of appearance, the Drones had most in common with a regular human. Entirely male, Drones were bred to kill and torture their enemies, with most acting as foot soldiers for the Locust Army to protect their Queen and Nexus. Due to being part of the Hivemind, Drones could telepathically communicate with each other from long distances. They could also be manually controlled by the Queen, but Myrrah allowed relative free will as the Locust naturally devoted their lives to her in order to maintain their species and were willing to die in service to her.
Boomer		Boomers are larger Drones in size and strength, but with a diminished intelligence capacity. Boomers were so named for their known trait of verbally declaring their action before it was performed. For instance, a Boomer would shout "BOOM!" before firing from the Boomshot Grenade Launcher. The Boomers acted as heavy weapons specialists within the Locust army, similar to tanks. They were often used to either protect Locust squadrons or to break through barriers. Boomers that were not in the Locust army primarily served as laborers in the Locust Horde, such as construction workers and butchers, due to their low intelligence. Their devotion to the Queen and Horde, however, was just as strong as the Drones'.
Kantus		Kantus are a unique Locust race with certain abilities. Taller and more slender than Drones and with a pharyngeal jaw, the Kantus have also have vocalizing powers. With their voice, the Kantus were able to heal the wounds of other Locust and revive them in battle, acting as field medics. The Kantus could also use their voice to control certain creatures such as the Rockworms and Riftworms. The Kantus would often lead Locust hunting parties and lure out Rockworms for the Locust to kill and eat. In battle, the Kantus could also produce a scream that could incapacitate their enemies. However, the main role of the Kantus were priests of the Trinity of Worms, the main religion of the Locust Horde. The Kantus worshipped three Riftworms, who they believed were responsible for creating the Hollow and giving life to the Locust Horde.
Rager		Ragers are a race of Drones that could metamorphose into a form similar to that of the Berserker. It is unknown if Ragers were naturally occurring within the Locust Horde or created by Ukkon, but their ability to transform was due to their high Imulsion content. In their original form, Ragers looked similar to Drones, except for a lack of scales and a lighter pigmentation. Like the Drones, they were also tactical and able to use weapons. After being wounded or threatened, a Rager could mutate by turning their skin red, protrude spikes from their body, increase the length of their nails, and grow in size and strength. Once transformed, they acted similar to a Berserker and attacked in a blinding rage, hence the name. Due to their recklessness in battle, the Ragers became mostly extinct by second year of the Locust War.
Berserker		Berserkers are female Drones of the Locust Horde. At an average height of ten feet, Berserkers were able to destroy most structures, jump at incredible heights and lengths, and sprint at very high speeds. They were so named for their out-of-control and angry nature. Naturally myopic, Berserkers relied on their other senses of scent and hearing to navigate their environment and hunt their prey. Known to kill humans and Locust alike, Berserkers would clobber and dismember their victims. Berserkers were often used in the Locust army to either hunt humans or to destroy barriers. Berserkers that were not in the Locust army were used to repopulate the Locust Horde. Due to their blind and violent nature, Berserkers were chained down and raped by male Drones in order to conceive. It is unknown if the Berserkers could give birth to a single Drone or a litter. The original Locust was a Berserker called the Matriarch, generated from Queen Myrrah's embryonic stem cells and Sire DNA. She bestowed the Locust with a Hivemind and amplified Myrrah's connection and abilities to it.
Sire		Sires are the ancestors to the Locust. They were once human children of Imulsion miners infected with Rustlung and brought to the New Hope Research Facility to study and find a cure. The director of the facility, Dr. Niles Samson, used Imulsion and the DNA of indigenous creatures from the Hollow to transform the children into Sires. Most of the Sires lost their sanity and became mindless, feral, and aggressive. While calm under sedation, they would maul and tear apart their prey in their regular state. The Sires were also distempered and sterile. However, their DNA was combined with Myrrah's embryonic stem-cells to create the Locust Horde. Unlike the Locust, the Sires were unable to follow command and acted on a primal, animal instinct - lacking self-preservation. Despite this, the Locust Horde revere the Sires as holy figures that produced their people. The Sires appeared to have mottled skin, with large parts of their bodies transforming into the grey skin and scales the Locust would eventually have. The Sires were at a medium-sized height due to their adolescence, but exhibited extreme hunched backs from stasis and accelerated growth. Both fingernails and toenails grew into claws, and their limbs elongated at different lengths. The children experienced hair-loss, their jaws grew in size and filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Scion		Scions are Locust Drones that evolved due to exposure to the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. A genetic trait designed by Dr. Niles Samson allowed the Locust to adapt in order to withstand generational conflict. Instead of being vaporized by the ICW due to their Imulsion content, the designed biological function forced the Imulsion out of their cells before they could be destroyed. The Imulsion was expelled from their skin and crystallized, forming impenetrable cocoons. During their twenty-five year hibernation, the Locust Drones evolved into Scions. The Scions continued to grow inside, reaching 9 to 10 feet in height. The traditional Locust scales were absent in Scions, appearing as smooth, gray skin. Due to erupting from their crystal shells, many Scions feature fragments of Imulsion crystals on their skin. The impenetrable nature of the Imulsion crystals acted as a natural armor for the Scions. It is unknown if any other Locust or Hollow creature have evolved similarly, as the only known evolved specimens to exist other than the Locust Drones are the Brumaks, evolved as Swarmaks.
Queen		Queens are the only race of Locust that can be fully human. Myrrah was the original Queen, as her embryonic stem cells were used to create the Locust. The first Locust generated from her stem cells was the Matriarch, the first Berserker. Within the Matriarch's temporal lobe was the source of the Hivemind, in which any living being sharing her genetic code would be telepathically connected to each other. This connection included Myrrah. As the Matriarch birthed the Locust, she bestowed upon them the Hivemind connection. The Locust are unable to learn and grow without the presence of a Queen in the Hivemind. Myrrah is able to command and guide them through telepathic measures. Queens are only females directly related to Myrrah. The Matriarch and Myrrah's human daughter Reyna Diaz, and granddaughter Kait Diaz, were also connected to the Hivemind. The Matriarch and Kait temporarily served as Queen, before Reyna was physically transformed and imbued with Myrrah's consciousness.

Psychology

Sleep and dreaming

The Locust are capable of sleep and dreaming. On the Locust Highway, a Drone standing guard fell asleep at his posts and displayed signs of deep, REM sleep.

Consciousness and thought

Motivation and emotion

Sexuality and love

While capable of sexual arousal and kinship, it is unknown if the Locust have the same concept and capabilities of love compared to humans. As noted by humans, and specifically designed by the scientists that created the Locust, the species was bred to kill and torture their enemies.

Culture

Language

While limited, the Locust speak in plain Tyran, mostly guttural. There have been notable Locust that had the ability to speak fluent Tyran due to their intelligence and important. As for their written language, the Locust used alphabetical and ideographic runes. The runes were primarily used to represent a letter that directly translated to the Tyran alphabet, but were also used to represent concepts. The runes were based on lexigram boards used by primatologists in Tyrus. These boards were utilized in the Mount Kadar Laboratory, where the Locust learned to communicate with the scientists.

The arts

When not in times of extreme conflict, the Locust will dedicate themselves to craftsmanship, seen namely in their architecture and ideograms. The Locust use runes based on the Tyran language, their symbol, and worm symbolism to decorate their surroundings.

Tools and technologies

Religion and spirituality

Science and philosophy

Society

Gender

An overwhelming majority of Locusts are male. The male populations are wildly diverse, but there is only one type of Locust race for females, which act as a reproductive caste. While the Locust prefer to be ruled under a matriarchal monarchy, the society of the Locust is largely patriarchal. Other than the Queen, all positions of power and labor are held by males. The female Locusts are purely dedicated to reproduction. Due to the blind and highly aggressive nature of the Berserkers, they must be chained down and raped by Locust males in order to be impregnated and reproduce.

Kinship

Government and politics

Conflict

See also

• Religion on Sera
• Locust Technology
• Alternative energy

References

Human and Surface Creatures
COG
Chairman · First Minister
DR-1 · Gears (Commando, Hivebuster, Medic, NCOG Marine, Onyx Guard, Sapper) · JACK (Geobot) · Shepherd (Command Bot, Deadeye) · Silverback (Mechanical Loader) · Tracker (Shock-Bots, Shock Tracker) · Watcher (Guardian, Sentinel)
UIR
Premier
Indies (Cosmonaut, UIR Elite, UIR Officer, Sandswept Trooper)
Surface Creatures
Ape · Armored Fish · Armored Shark · Beast of Pahanu · Cat · Chicken · Cattle · Crow · Dog · Goat · Horse · Iron Jaw · Kraken · Mawfish · Monkey · Pig · Rat · Rock Eel · Salmon · Sand Wasp · Scree-Mite · Serano Blowfish · Serano Cephalopod · Serano Lobster · Serano Shark · Tyran Steelpike · Unidentified Mammalian Carnivore · Wakaatu · Whale Fish · Whale