| Low Earth Orbit | |
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| Mission guide | |
| Previous Trouble in the Tropics |
Next Good Luck and God Speed |
"Low Earth Orbit" is a level in the award-winning video game The Operative: No One Lives Forever. It is the 11th mission of the game and follows Cate Archer traveling into outer space in order to retrieve an antidote sample from H.A.R.M.'s secret space station. The level is an immediate continuation from the previous mission and is followed by the last briefing and training level of the game: Good Luck and God Speed.
Briefing
Once aboard the H.A.R.M. space station, you must ascertain where the antidote is stored. Your space suit should mask your identity to some degree, but don't expect guards to be fooled. If you see anyone carrying a weapon, either avoid him or dispatch him.
When you've retrieved the antidote, you can start thinking about how to get back to Earth.
First things first.
Mission Summary
Scene 1
- Secret H.A.R.M. Space Station
A space station guard named Fiskell is sent to inspect the Rocket that just arrived as its crew hasn't disembarked yet. When Fiskell enters the rocket, Archer apprehends him and enters the space station's mezzanine. The station consists of five levels, the lowest of which contains the "Top Secret Labs". The entrance to this area is blocked by a large laser barrier which must be shut off in the main control room on the top level. A Security Pass is required to gain clearance to it and one can found lying on the counter of the mezzanine's "Pink Space Lounge".
On her way to the security sector, Archer finds a Code Breaker and the Super Atomic Laser Weapon, which vaporizes its victims. While hacking into the security systems (which are spread over two rooms), various conversations between Scientists can be heard suggesting that there is a meteor shower headed for the station. Archer must now proceed to the bottom area and run to the labs before the meteors destroy the access tunnel.
Scene 2
Having reached the Top Secret Labs, Archer must act quickly as the meteors continue to damage the space station. She finds an antidote sample in a lab room accessed via a turbo-lift. Archer then flees in one of the Escape Pods just before the entire space station explodes.
Memorable quotes
"Thank God that rocket is finally here. I can't wait to get back to earth."
"Really? I kind of like it up here."
"You're crazy. This place is a drag."
"Ah, come on, it's not bad once you get used to it."
"Well, maybe I just haven't gotten use to it, cause I'd rather be locked up in an outhouse for a week than spend another day on this floating deathtrap."
"Deathtrap? We've only had six fatalities this month!"
"See what I mean? You've been up here way too long. It's not normal for healthy adults to die off at that rate."
"Sure it is."
"No, it's not."
"You're wrong."
"No, you're wrong."
"Ah, who cares? Go back to earth if you're scared."
"I plan to."
"Good."
- H.A.R.M. Thugs
John Jonson "Oh, you're so beautiful. You drive me mad with lust!"
Marsha Derikson "I'm like jelly in your arms."
John Jonson "How can I resist you? I want you now!"
Marsha Derikson "Yes! Please, ravage me!"
(make out sounds) (Archer walks in)
John Jonson "Oh, hello, we're just, uh, doing inventory of the medical supplies."
Marsha Derikson "Yes, I've counted six boxes so far. How about you?"
John Jonson "I've also counted six."
Marsha Derikson "Well, let's keep counting."
References
Antidote • Astronaut • Billingsworth • Body Armor • Botulism • Carson McCray • Cate Archer • Cheese • Code Breaker • Collins • E. Siskel • Earth • Electronic Super Analyzer Apparatus • Escape Pod • Fiskell • Fitzhume • Food Tubes • Gerovsky • H.A.R.M. • H.A.R.M. Space Station • H.A.R.M. Super Laser • Human Resources (H.A.R.M.) • John Jonson • Lab Equipment • Lyle Collins • Marcus Mitchell • Mars • Marsha Derikson • Marvin • Meteors • Mutated Plants • Outer Space • Radio • Rocket • Saulsberry Cheese • Security Pass • Scientist • Space Suit • Super Atomic Laser Weapon • Telephone • Toilet Paper
Trivia
- Due to its setting in outer space, the mission may have been inspired by films such as the 1968 motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker and the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises.
- This mission demonstrates H.A.R.M.'s incredibly advanced and futuristic framework, boasting a highly developed space program even two years before the Moon Landing.
- Owing to standard procedures before lift-off, you cannot select your weapons before the start of the mission, let alone bring any at all.
- There appear to be several civilians aboard the space station especially in the Pink Space Lounge. The only plausible explanation for this is that they also work for H.A.R.M. employed in different capacities to the guards and scientists.
- The barman in the Space Lounge can be killed without failing the mission
- Two scientists can be heard exchanging pleasantries and kissing intimately. As soon as Archer enters the room they continue with their work pretending as if nothing happened. If the player leaves the room, and then returns later, the two lovers have returned to the make-out spot, but Archer will not hear anything. An intelligence item can found in which another employee complains about their licentious behavior.
- When activating the 3rd person view cheat (cheat code - mpasscam), you can see that Archer is not wearing a space helmet even though she had one on when she boarded the rocket. This could be the reason why the guards recognize her immediately. While in first-person view, the player can see the front of the space helmet in front of them.
- In Scene 2, there are two ways to get out of the shaft once the turbo-lift comes crashing down: either jump across the beams along the shaft walls, (some of which collapse under your weight), or simply shoot at the red light on the "Emergency Ladder" sign at the top of the shaft for a faster escape.
- In a conversation between two scientists, it is mentioned that there are only enough escape pods for twenty people. As there are only eight of these to be seen in Scene 2, the remaining twelve must be scattered around the rest of the station.
- The scenario of having less escape pods than passengers is not unlike that of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, causing the deaths of some 1,500 people mainly due to a significant lack of lifeboats
- It does not matter which escape pod you take; entering any one of them after having retrieved the antidote, will complete the level. This means that the intelligence item you find in one of the pods can only be collected before the antidote is retrieved.
- The H.A.R.M. Space Station will be a major location in the Contract J.A.C.K. mission Lunar Psycho. The remains of the space station crashed on the Moon with Dr. Harij as the only survivor.
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