After the Battle of Kaia, a mass exodus from that island led people to Noroa island, including Gears from the 5th Kaian Grenediers. Around 9 A.E., the Locust Horde attacked Noroa Island with full force and killed most of the population except for a small band of survivors lead by Bernadette Mataki. The Locust returned to Noroa, looking for supplies and raiding the towns on the island. Only fifteen civilians and a handful of Gears where left on the island and the occasional Stranded that visited.