Andius Expedition

The Andius Expedition was a failed operation undertaken by the Coalition of Ordered Governments in 25 A.E., to ascertain whether the city of Andius was fit for rapid reconstruction and reinhabitation in the aftermath of the Locust War. Planned by General Donald Berkeley and Major Colin Davis as a counter to the idea of mass produced, identical settlements, an ideology which had been rapidly gaining popularity amongst the majority of the Coalition's citizens.
The Expedition, consisting of two companies of Gears from the Clayvale and New Ephyran armed forces, departed the COG's capital of New Ephyra. A day later, they arrived at the seemingly abandoned city, devoid of even Outsiders. Over the course of the next two days, COG forces located the remains of makeshift settlements, hinting at recent habitation, but no sign of their residents. As the days continued, the Expedition began reporting strange occurrences, such as missing or seemingly sabotaged equipment. On the fourth day, units throughout the city reported coming under fire from unknown hostiles.
Believing them to be the inhabitants of the city, the Gears attempted to establish communications with them to no avail. It wasn't long before entire squads started dropping out of contact. Captain Steadforth ordered all his remaining troops to fall back and form a defensive perimeter around the impromptu headquarters. Many Gears were ambushed and killed or went missing during the retreat, by the time all survivors made it back to the compound, only seventy Gears remained. Despite the destruction of the Expedition's portable radio broadcast, Captain Steadforth recorded one last update and sent it out with the unit's last remaining Jackbot.
When the Bot returned to New Ephyra three days later, Berkeley dispatched elements of the 1st Clayvale Rotorary Air Wing to attempt search and rescue efforts. The King Raven pilots reported destroyed and damaged vehicles and equipment and numerous bodies, but no sign of Captain Steadforth or any survivors was ever found, nor the mysterious force that attacked them.
==Aftermath==
After the mission, the COG classified the incident as an Outsider attack. As a result of the complete destruction of the Andius Expedition, many citizens demanded Berkeley and Davis be brought to trial. While this didn't occur, it did severely damage their reputation in the public eye and had the unintended side effect of actually promoting the ideals of the Settlements. One of its most lasting effects was the arming of DB Industries' DeeBee robots, creating the Shepherds. Ironically, this, coupled with the increasingly totalitarian policies put forward by the government, eventually pushed the city-state of Clayvale and several of its protectorates, led by Berkeley and Davis, to rebel against the COG, forming their own Confederation of Ordered Governments. During the rebellion, the new First Minister Jinn used the failed Andius Expedition in an attempt to discredit the Confederation and its leaders.
Category:Gears of War: Dark Horse
Category:Rebuilt Dreams