Another Day at the Beach

"WE'VE GOT A NEW CONTACT, UNKNOWN CLASSIFICATION!"

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Another Day at the Beach is a bonus video on the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack. It details what happens to the second Pelican after being shot down by the Scarab in the opening cinematic of the Halo 2 campaign level Outskirts.

A remastered version of Another Day at the Beach, animated by Blur Studio, is featured alongside Halo 2 Anniversary in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.^[1]

Characters

Covenant

Unnamed Special Operations Sangheili
Unnamed Kig-Yar Sniper
Two Unnamed Unggoy Minors

United Nations Space Command

Avery J. Johnson (Voice only)
Butkus
Cortana (Voice only)
John-117 (Small cameo)
Jones
O'Brien
Marcus Stacker
Walpole

Synopsis

The Special Operations Sangheili and Kig-Yar Sniper stand together.

Three Pelicans are flying low above a high way before being ambushed and shot down by a Scarab walker. The second Pelican, that is shot down by the Scarab, flies over Hotel Zanzibar and is spotted by a Special Operations Sangheili. Private O'Brien and the Pelican's pilots are killed in the crash, and Sergeant Stacker tells the remaining 3 ODSTs (Butkus, Jones, and Walpole) to grab their tags and ammo.

The Sangheili sends in two Minor Unggoy and a Kig-Yar Sniper to engage them, and the sniper nearly hits Butkus. Jones, the squad's sharpshooter, easily takes the Kig-Yar out. The Kig-Yar's body falls from the ledge and lands next to the two Unggoy, scaring them back to their previous location. The first Unggoy gets by the Sangheili, however, it manages to grab the second one by the neck, then throws it aside. It then activates its active camouflage and leaps down towards the ODSTs.

The Sangheili takes out its Energy Sword and slashes at Butkus, connecting with the ODST's Battle Rifle and cleanly severing it. Butkus falls and and grabs a Plasma Pistol, originally in the possession of the Unggoy. The Sangheili then throws a Plasma Grenade at Walpole's helmet. Walpole yelps in surprise, takes the helmet off and throws it, and the helmet explodes next to the Sangheili, draining its shields and deactivating his active camouflage. The Sangheili jumps down and grabs Jones using him as a hostage, with the Energy Sword at his throat. Jones tells the ODSTs to take him out, Butkus fires an overcharged Plasma Pistol at Stacker's command and takes out the Sangheili's partially regenerated shields, and Stacker finishes it off with his Battle Rifle. The Sangheili falls and drops its Energy Sword. Slowly, its hand unclenches, deactivating the Energy Sword.

Cortana contacts Stacker and tells him to find a safe spot and that they'll come to him, whilst the ODSTs congregate around the dead Sangheili, with Walpole delivering a swift kick to the corpse.

Transcript

Butkus (right) telling Jones (left) the location of the sniper.

Recon Marine (COM): "Immediate; Grid Kilo 23 is hot. Recommend mission abort."

The Bungie logo is shown.

Pilot (COM): "Roger, recon. (To Sergeant Johnson) It's your call, Sarge."

Sergeant Major Avery Johnson: "We're going in. Get tactical, Marines!"

Five ODSTs, from second squad are inside one of the Pelican's troop bay. Stacker is sitting between the troop bay and the cockpit. O'Brien and Walpole to the left, Jones and Butkus to the right.

Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker: "You heard the man, boys. It's time for some hazard pay!"

The ODSTs enthusiastically prepare for combat. Butkus cocks his battle rifle. While O'Brien hits Walpole's arm. Jones is sitting in the corner with his sniper rifle.

Pilot (COM): "Thirty seconds out... stand by to... woah..."

The pilot goes silent as a huge Scarab comes into view. Its leg spears a truck which explodes, then its main gun focuses and fires, destroying the lead Pelican. The two other Pelicans veer off, as Plasma Turrets on the Scarab's back turrets track them. The rightward dropship containing Stacker and the fireteam of ODSTs catches a burst of plasma on its left engine.

Cuts to a Special Operations Sangheili outside of the Hotel Zanzibar. It looks up and sees the ODSTs' Pelican, with its engines screaming and burning, flying fast over the Hotel Zanzibar. It points at the Pelican, looking at the lance it is commanding: Two Unggoy Minor and a Kig-Yar Sniper.

Sangheili: "Wort, wort, wort!"

The three subordinates head towards Hotel Zanzibar, with the two Unggoy mumbling. Cuts to the Pelican swerving towards the ground. Its starboard engine explodes and begins to flame, and the dropship crash lands on the beach behind Hotel Zanzibar. Butkus stands up from being moved from the right to the left side of the Pelican. Walpole is sitting in the same place checking on O'Brian to his right. Jones is on the left side on the ground crawling to the cockpit. Stacker, bleeding at the temple, is using the Pelican's wall for support.

Stacker: (coughs) "Status!"

Cuts to Walpole looking up from O'Brien's body.

Walpole: "Sir, O'Brien's down."

Cuts to Jones looks towards Stacker after peering inside the cockpit.

Jones: "We lost our pilots, too."

Stacker: "Grab their tags and ammo."

Stacker joins Butkus, who is looking out of the Pelican.

Butkus: "Sarge, we better get moving."

Stacker: "Agreed. We'll find better cover in those buildings. Butkus, you take point."

Cuts to the Sangheili standing on the building and looking at the crashed Pelican. It points at the Pelican, and the two Unggoy jump down. The Kig-Yar is about to walk down too, but the Sangheili stops it, and signal it to stay back and snipe. The Kig-Yar looks up, says something similar to "yay" sarcastically, and walks away. The Sangheili walks down.

Cuts to the ODSTs. They find cover behind a wall. Stacker signals to Butkus, who moves out of cover and almost gets killed by the Kig-Yar sniper.

Butkus: "Hello! (turns back to Jones) Sniper...3rd floor to the left."

Jones: "Here, let me give him my "Welcome to Earth" gift basket."

Jones puts his Sniper Rifle above cover. The Kig-Yar takes a second shot but misses again, and is killed by Jones. The Kig-Yar's body falls from the ledge and lands next to the two Unggoy, causing one of them them to drop his pistol and flee. A frag grenade explodes nearby, and the second Unggoy drops its weapon and flees as well. The first Unggoy runs by the Sangheili, who then grabs the second one by the neck, and growls loudly at the Unggoy before throwing it aside. The Sangheili then activates its active camouflage and jumps down towards the ODSTs. Cuts to the ODSTs walking slowly toward the ground floor of the hotel. Suddenly, the Sangheili activates its Energy Sword and lunges at Butkus, cutting his Battle Rifle in half.

Butkus yells in surprise and falls down. He stands up wielding one of the plasma pistols and holds down an overcharged burst. He waves it around, scanning for the Sangheili.

Jones: "Damn, where is he? Anybody see him?"

The ODSTs sweep the area in a defensive position. A plasma grenade is seen flying through the air and sticks to Walpole's helmet. He grunts in surprise and throws the helmet away. It explodes near the Sangheili, draining its shields partially and deactivating its active camouflage. Crying in surprise, the Sangheili jumps down and grabs Jones by the neck, using him as a hostage, with the energy sword at the ready. Butkus charges his Plasma Pistol, while Stacker and Walpole aim their Battle Rifles at the Sangheili, who growls incomprehensibly at them.

Jones: (struggling, groans) "Take him, guys!..."

The Sangheili continues to growl.

Stacker: (quietly) "Cook the bastard."

Butkus discharges the Plasma Pistol, taking down the Sangheili's energy shielding. Stacker fires a Battle Rifle burst at the Sangheili, and it dies, its hand slowly unclenching the Energy Sword, deactivating it. Jones falls on the ground, rubbing his neck and gasping.

Cortana (COM): "Second squad, this is Cortana. What is your status, over?"

Stacker helps Jones stand up.

Stacker: "We're operational, ma'am...barely. Our pilots didn't make it."

Walpole kicks the Sangheili's body over and stares at it.

Cortana (COM): "Find a hole, stay put. We'll come to you."

The camera slowly pans away from the ODSTs, towards New Mombasa, and fades to black.

Trivia

The two cutscenes featuring different damaged Pelicans.

The name of the video is a reference to the second section of Outskirts, titled A Day At The Beach.
The names of the ODSTs are the names of some of Bungie's animators.
In the original cutscene of "Outskirts" only the Pelican with Master Chief gets shot by the turret. Here, however, the Pelican holding the ODSTs get shot first at the engine by the turret which then proceeds to shoot down the one carrying Master Chief.
Stacker wears ODST armor in the short despite wearing the Marine BDU in the level proper.
The Sangheili antagonist wears what appears to be Minor armor despite being a Spec Ops or stealth trooper.
The squad uses the "Noob Combo" to kill the Elite.
When the Sangheili is killed he slowly releases his energy sword, which then collapses, similar to the way a failsafe disintegrates the sword in Halo: Combat Evolved.