Orbital Drop Shock Troopers: Difference between revisions

===Battle of Earth and Fall of the Covenant===

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Following the disastrous loss of Reach and their massive casualties during the [[Battle of Installation 04]] - where all but [[Locklear|one]] of the troopers deployed were killed in action, either on the ring itself or aboard the [[Flood]]-infested Covenant cruiser ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' when it was destroyed by [[First Lieutenant]] [[Melissa McKay]] to contain the outbreak - the ODST participated in the most significant battle of the entire war: the [[Battle of Earth]].<ref name="bwu11">[http://halo.bungie.net/news/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16271 '''halo.bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 11/21/08'']</ref> The battle began on [[2552#October|October 20, 2552]], when a [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|smaller-than-expected Covenant fleet]] led by the [[Prophet of Regret]] jumped into the Solar System. ODST combat teams, along with the Marines, began engaging Covenant forces on the Orbital Defense Platforms ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo]]'', ''[[Athens Station|Athens]]'', and ''[[Malta Station|Malta]]''. Despite the ODSTs' valiant efforts, ''Malta'' and ''Athens'' were destroyed. As the Covenant ship carrying the Prophet of Regret landed over the African mega-city of [[Mombasa]], teams of ODSTs were deployed over the city from orbit in [[Operation: BUMRUSH|an attempt to board the carrier]]; before the teams could reach the target, however, the carrier jumped into Slipspace. Only [[Unidentified Shock Trooper squad|a single squad]] managed to safely land in the city to carry out the retrieval of the [[Superintendent]]'s data.

After Regret's unexpected retreat from New Mombasa, members of the [[7th Shock Troops Battalion]] would later drop from the ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'' onto [[Installation 05]] during the [[Battle of Installation 05|operation]] to capture the Prophet of Regret. Most of these troopers would perish during the initial firefights against the Covenant, and only a few would escape back to [[Earth]] with [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] to lead a resistance against the Covenant occupation forces.<ref>'''Halo 2''', ''[[The Great Journey (Level)|The Great Journey]]''</ref>

After the opening of [[Portal at Voi|the Portal]] in November 2552, the [[11th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST]], stationed aboard the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, fought alongside Spartan [[John-117]], during [[Human-Covenant War#Arrival of the Flood and Sangheili/human victory|Operation: BLIND FAITH]].<ref name="encyclopedia">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''Chapter 2, pages 56/57''</ref> Men and women from this battalion were also some of the first [[human]]s to travel outside the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]], during the [[Battle of Installation 00]].<ref name="h3ark"/> One such assault happened during a mission to destroy numerous Covenant [[Anti-Aircraft Battery|anti-aircraft artillery platforms]] overlooking a desert. These AA guns were destroyed by the ODSTs, allowing the ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn]]'' to successfully land near the [[Cartographer|Cartographer building]].<ref name="h3ark">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Ark]]''</ref> During the [[Battle of the Citadel|last battle]] of the Ark campaign—the last battle of the war—ODSTs were again airlifted into combat. This time, they punched holes in Covenant armor and artillery positions to allow John-117 and the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]] to eliminate the [[Prophet of Truth]]. After the battle, the surviving ODSTs were taken back to Earth aboard the Sangheili flagship ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref>