Prepare To Drop (level)

Prepare to Drop is the first campaign level of Halo 3: ODST. It doesn't contain actual gameplay, only the game's opening cinematic.

Transcript


''{View inside a room in a UNSC ship. The Rookie sleeps in a drop pod in the foreground while Mickey, Dutch and Romeo are around a large holo-table, on which a hologram of New Mombasa and the Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier is displayed.}''

Mickey: The Navy put up a good fight...

Dutch: 'Course they did. It's Earth.

Romeo: Better late than never.

Dutch: How 'bout you show some respect, Romeo?

Romeo: Just saying, Dutch - They missed one.

{points at the Assault Carrier}

Dutch: No. They left it for us.

''{Sirens and lights begin to flare. A door into the room opens, and Buck and Dare walk in.}''

Buck: You know the music, time to dance!

{The team can't help but notice the stranger with their commanding officer.}

Romeo:(Quietly) Hello beautiful...

{Buck glances at Dare, then looks at the squad}

Buck: Pods. Now.

{The ODSTs grab their gear and start walking to their pods}

Dare: Replacements?

Buck: This many years into the war? Who isn't?

Dare: At least they listen.

Buck: To me. And they're not gonna like what they hear.

Dare: Orders are orders.

{Buck walks to Dare}

Buck: C'mon Veronica! What could be more important than that carrier?

{Dare pokes Buck in the chest}

Dare: My orders. And Buck? Call me Captain. I'll pass on that dance. But you can show me where to sit.

{Dare leaves to the pods}

{Cut to the rest of the team, who are gearing up}

Mickey: What the hell kind of armor was she wearing?

Romeo: Dunno, Mickey. I wasn't looking at her gear.

{Dutch grabs a silenced M7 SMG}

Romeo: Pft! Seriously?

Dutch: We're gonna' be close quarters.

{Romeo grabs an M90 shotgun and places it in front of him}

Romeo: Exactly.

''{Dutch shoves the shotgun away. Dare and Buck walk into the scene.}''

Buck: Second to last. Right next to mine.

Romeo: Cozy...

{Buck walks to the squad}

Romeo: You gonna' tell us her name, gunny?

Buck: Miss Naval Intelligence. Our new boss.

Mickey: (muttering) Oh brother......

Buck: So, check your mouths, find your chairs...

{Buck takes the shotgun from Romeo's hands, puts it back onto the rack, and angrily shoves a sniper rifle into his hands instead}

Buck: ...and get set for a combat drop!

Romeo: What the hell am I supposed to do with this inside a Covenant ship?

''{The Rookie sleeps next to his pod. Romeo walks to him, and hits him with his sniper rifle's butt.}''

{Cut to the Rookie's point of view as he wakes up}

The Rookie: Unh!

Romeo: Wake up, buttercup.

{Dutch pushes Romeo away}

Dutch: Relax, Rookie. He don't mean nothin'. Besides, now's one of those times... pays to be the strong, silent type.

''{Dutch hands an M7S SMG to the Rookie, who attaches it to his pod's weapon rack and positions himself on the seat. The pod's hatch closes, and the platform all the pods are hanging from descends into the launch bay}''

{Once the hatch closes, the player is free to look around}

{Buck and Dare appear on the pod's viewscreens}

Dare (radio): Latest intel reports Covenant troops are massing beneath the carrier.

{There is a slight flicker of static in the pod's screens as the platform comes to a stop}

Buck (radio): They're pulling back? Why?

Dare (radio): We're not going to find out way up here.

Buck (radio):
 * (Easy or Normal) Troopers! We're green and very, very mean!
 * (Heroic) Pucker up, marines! I sure as hell ain't hosing out your pods!
 * (Legendary) We are droppin' into Hell, troopers! Time to grow a pair!

''{The pods drop away from the ship. Before the Rookie's pod detaches, a countdown sound can be heard.}''

''{As the pod exits the launch bay, a view of Earth's low orbit opens before the player's eyes. The tether of the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator can be seen in the background, as well as multiple destroyed UNSC ships, with operational cruisers prowling amongst the wreckage. A thick cloud cover down below stretches to the horizon.}''

{The pods pass close to several destroyed UNSC Frigates on their way down.}

Romeo (radio): I take it back. Navy got its butt kicked!

Buck (radio): Hey Romeo! Remember when I told you to shut your mouth?

Romeo (radio): Yeah?

Buck (radio): Consider that a standing order.

{The pods fall through the cloud layer.}

Buck (radio): Captain! Fifteen klicks off the deck.

{The city of New Mombasa, and the Assault Carrier above it come into view.}

Dare (radio): Stand by to adjust trajectory... on my mark.

Dutch (radio): What did she just say?

Dare (radio): Mark!

{The squad's pods veer off to a new course.}

Mickey (radio): We're way off course!

Dare (radio): We're headed exactly where I need to go.

Mickey (radio): But we're gonna miss the carrier!

{A stream of energy moves across the carrier.}

Dutch (radio): Radiation!

{A slipspace rupture opens up in front of the Carrier, and rapidly expands, creating a crater on the ground below it.}

Mickey (radio): The Covenant just set off a nuke?

{The UNSC In Amber Clad can be seen moving towards the carrier}

Dare (radio): No. the carrier's going to jump! It's a slipspace rupture! You need to-

{Dare is cut off as the carrier disappears into the rupture, taking In Amber Clad with it, releasing a massive explosion and a shockwave.}

Dutch (radio): EMP! Losing power!

Buck (radio): Stabilize, then pop your chutes! We're going in hard!

''{Mickey's pod slams into the Rookie's, cracking the window. Inside the pod, all screens turn red with warnings. The EMP fries the pod's systems and all of the screens go dark. The Rookie grabs onto a handhold as his pod plummets into freefall without a chute to slow it down.}''

{Screen goes black}

Trivia

 * The name of the level was used as the promotional tagline for the game.
 * This is the only level without any form of the Superintendent.
 * The Frigates that pass by have a hangar in the back, which is only seen on the Halo 3 Frigates.
 * The In Amber Clad can be seen approaching the Carrier before it jumps.
 * This is the only level that Dare wears her helmet in.
 * When starting this Level on Legendary, if you look far at the left of the Rookie's Pod as you jump, you can see a picture of a girl, possibly the Rookie's girlfriend. This may expand upon the Rookie's origins.
 * Unlike the other levels in the game, this level is not viewable in Theater mode.
 * It is possible that the ship the Squad is in before the drop is a Marathon-class Cruiser due to the large amount of SOEIV it launched.