The Resistance (Half-Life 2)
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The Resistance is a faction of humans and Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 and its episodic continuations that fight the Combine in the Battle of City 17 . They took the lowercase lambda as their symbol, as Doctor Gordon Freeman, considered by the Resistance to be "the One Free Man, the Opener of the Way", had this mark on his Hazardous Environment Suit. Its City 17 branch is apparently lead by Doctors Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner, with Eli's daughter Alyx Vance and Barney Calhoun, working undercover within the Civil Protection unit, as some of its main operators; Doctor Judith Mossman, who assisted Dr. Vance on his experiments at Black Mesa East, was working for the Combine, gathering details about the innovative teleportation technology, which used Xen as a relay point, in exchange for her and Eli's safety.
The Resistance controlled most of the coastline outskirts of City 17, as seen by cabins scattered throughout it, although by the time Freeman gets there, the Resistance has been almost completely overwhelmed; the player directly intervenes in the attacks on two of its central points in the coast, New Little Odessa, led by Colonel Odessa Cubbage, and the Lighthouse Point. Also, a city in which citizens and Resistance members took shelter, Ravenholm, has been infested by headcrabs, nearly the entire population transformed into zombies, after a heavy Combine shelling, which implies that the Combine were making serious moves to eliminate their opposition.
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[edit] Members
The majority of its members appear to be sheltered and current citizens of City 17. They mostly appear to be within their late 20s to early 30s, meaning they're the latest human generation due to the Combine's suppression field, which prevents human reproduction. If Barney Calhoun can be taken as an example, some seem to act undercover within Combine ranks. Though lacking in any traditional field uniforms, resistance members can usually be seen clad in the same flak vests worn by civil protection officers, most likely scavenged from fallen CPs, as well as leg protection plates taken from Overwatch soldiers, a small number of utility pouches, and a watch cap, generally worn over their civilian clothing.
[edit] Griggs and Sheckley
These two Resistance fighters are found deep in the Antlion caverns in Episode Two and guard a small outpost near to the core of the hive. Sheckley is the leader of the two and the most confident, whilst Griggs is much more pessimistic, often jumping to conclusions and declaring doom upon all before a fight has even begun. Their adjustment make them to a humorous team. Nevertheless they prove useful in the defense against the Antlions.
[edit] Leon
Leon is seen at the last level of Chapter 6, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." He is seen after the player fights a group of Combine, along with 4 other Resistance members. He tells the player that Alyx is all right, and later calls Shorepoint and tells the base that Eli Vance has been captured. In order to assist the player in traveling to Shorepoint, he provides the Dune Buggy(also called Junkcar)and tells the player about the Shore Road.
[edit] Lazlo and his Friend
When the player goes along the cliff path after the lighthouse battle, they will come to two resistance members in the sands who were trying to get Bugbait. Antlions will appear and attack them after Lazlo moves. The player has the option of killing the Antlions before the other rebel is hurt, Lazlo is instantly killed. Lazlo is described as "the greatest mind of his generation". The other rebel stays behind with the body claiming that without Lazlo there is no point in their mission. His fate is unknown although from what he said ("There's something I have to do") it is suspected he either committed suicide due to his grief over Lazlo's death or paid respect to his departed friend.
[edit] Structure
The Resistance appears to have no apparent command structure and just appear to be militia-like cells each with its own independent commander. They also organize into even smaller groups, led by squad leaders. The Resistance in City 17 is led overall by Doctors Kleiner and Vance, who also control the Rebels' scientific research into teleportation. The operations that the Resistance conducts in the field is led by Barney Calhoun and Alyx Vance. Gordon Freeman offers leadership near to the end of Half Life 2, leading small squads of resistance fighters against the Combine.
The exact size of the Resistance is not known. There is also a Civilian Militia force, members who have not fully gathered rebel equipment such as proper clothing and equipment and just instead use a weapon are seen near the beginning of the game Half Life 2 whom controls the Underground to get refugees out of the city. Yet they are generally more experienced having been in the field for longer.
[edit] Weaponry
The Rebels use whatever armaments are available to them. The Rebels have been seen to use USP Handguns, MP7 Submachine Guns, Overwatch Pulse Rifles, Shotguns and RPGs. Resistance soldiers have also been armed with, at some point a modified Crossbow and, although not a member of the Resistance per se, Father Grigori of Ravenholm uses an ornate Winchester Rifle which he names "Annabelle" as he fights the city's zombified residents.
The combative members of the resistance wield an assortment of weapons, mostly Combine armament. These include:
- Heckler & Koch USP Match 9mm handgun
- Heckler & Koch MP7 4.6mm submachine gun
- Franchi SPAS-12 12-Gauge combat shotgun
- AR-2 pulse rifle (Few Resistance members use these, however, many will drop their current weapon for this one)
- Rocket-propelled grenade launchers
In addition, Resistance members are also seen wearing body armor salvaged from Civil Protection units. There is also one portion in Half-Life 2 in which a resistance member on the level "Route Kanal" picks up a piece of pipe to defend himself from manhacks, although this is only a singular incident (as a melee weapon is more effective against multiple manhacks than a firearm)
[edit] Tactics and strategy
Generally, Citizens are very fort-based in tactics. Generally sticking to an area which is a natural defensive position, Citizens collect and begin creating a cell. They are generally simple, and usually include sleeping quarters and small weapons areas. During the game, the player encounters several cells, which also are safe houses of sort, as seen in the "Water Hazard" level. During the uprising (caused by the events in Half-Life 2) numerous new cells pop up, particularly in City 17, where destruction to the city provided new defensive structures to house the Resistance. The primary difference to these cells and older ones is that most cells in the city can control access to them (from infantry units at least), where older cells were vulnerable to overt attack. The Resistance also stockpiles battle supplies (such as medikits and ammunition crates) in strategic locations. They can be found by locating a spraypainted Lambda symbol and searching the surrounding area. In the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Episode Two, finding all of the so-called Lambda Caches grants the achievement Cache Checker.
[edit] Uprising
It is assumed the resistance had been a thorn in the side of the city before Gordon Freeman arrived. His arrival and his actions thereafter sparked the open violence seen in the later chapters of Half-Life 2, during the rebellion.
[edit] Dissension in the Ranks
Listening to the conversations heard in Half-Life 2: Episode One, if the player chooses to take the "scenic route" (as Alyx Vance puts it), the player can hear and see through a crack in the floor citizens discussing their dislike of current events (open warfare against the Combine) and a questioning of Isaac Kleiner and Odessa Cubbage's authority (although both are portrayed as incompetent). Likewise, the Resistance members seem rather less keen on Gordon Freeman in Episode One than they were in Half-Life 2. Examples are, in "Exit 17", where, if the NPCs "sense" they are in danger, they will angrily remark on Freeman's inability to help them (saying things like "I thought you are supposed to protect us!"). This, however, only occurs when the player is near but unwilling to help. In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, after the Hunter-Chopper fight, the player can briefly talk to a rebel fixing a broken car, who mentions leaving the Resistance.
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