Editing Battle of Reach

{{battle
|prev=[[The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]
|conc=
|next=[[The Battle of Installation 04]]
|name=Battle of Reach
|image=[[Image:Battle of Reach.jpg|middle]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|date=August 30, 2552 - September 23, 2552 (UNSC Forces Eradicated)
|place=[[Epsilon Eridani System]], above planet [[Reach]]
|result=Ended with Covenant victory; Reach was [[Glass|partially glassed]]
|battles=
|side1=*[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2=*[[The Covenant]]
|commanders1=*[[Admiral Roland Freemont]]†
|commanders2=*[[Arbiter (character)|Supreme Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]]
|forces1=*352 UNSC ships(approximately 3 fleets of Various Classes) 
*20 Super [[MAC]] Cannons
*Platoon of [[Spartans]]
|forces2=*314 Covenant Ships
*Legions of ground troops
|casual1=*Over 130 vessels of varying classes 
*20 Super MACs
*Estimated 700,000 dead+1,500,000 wounded during Ground combat+another 5,000,000 dead during space bombardment. Estimated 1,000,000,000 Civilian casualties
* only 15,000,000 civilian survivors to the attack
|casual2=*~302 ships of varying classes
*350,000+dead, 700,000 wounded
}}
== Summary ==

By [[2552]], many of Humanity's Outer Colonies had been destroyed by the Covenant (although they were repulsed with significant losses at [[Sigma Octanus IV]]).  In a move of desperation, the UNSC ordered a secret plan to capture a Covenant ship using a SPARTAN task force and find the coordinates of their home planet, as well as capturing one of the Covenant's leaders.  A group of SPARTANs, led by the [[Master Chief]], were chosen for this mission, and board a specially outfitted ''Halcyon''-class cruiser, the ''Pillar of Autumn'', under the command of [[Captain Jacob Keyes]], as well as an upgrade to the [[MJOLNIR battle armor#MJOLNIR Mark IV]] armor, completely integrated with an energy shielding system and AI interface. The Master Chief meets and is assigned to the [[AI]] [[Cortana]], who is to serve as his team's hacker and Covenant technology specialist. This plan, however, was interrupted when the [[Covenant]] launched a surprise attack on the world of [[Reach]], which they had deviously located via an automated probe attached to the hull of the [[UNSC destroyer]] ''[[Iroquois]]''.

During this battle, most of [[Reach]] is overrun and [[glassed]], and the [[Human]] [[fleet]] is obliterated, as the humans were outnumbered over three to one, giving them absolutely no chance, even with orbital [[MAC]] emplacements. Worse still, the [[Master Chief]] discovers that most of the remaining [[SPARTAN-II]]s were most likely killed on the surface of the planet during its bombardment. The Master Chief, escapes with the ''[[Pillar of Autumn]]''. In accordance with the [[Cole Protocol]], the ''Autumn'' follows a "randomized" ''slipspace'' vector which leads to the discovery of the Halo installation. This vector is later revealed to have been quickly generated from some [[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner hieroglyphs]] by [[Cortana]].

== Military Forces ==
 
'''UNSC'''
Commander: [[Admiral Roland Freemont]] 

*152 UNSC ships
*''Stated Ships:'' 
**2 Carriers
**3 Cruisers
**Several dozen Destroyers
**Frigates
**Corvettes
**The [[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]] and Supercarrier [[UNSC Trafalgar ]] were also present

20 Super [[MAC]] Cannons 

Platoon of [[Spartans]] 

'''Covenant'''
Commander: [[The Arbiter (character)|The Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice]] 

*314<ref>[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]], page 296</ref> Covenant ships (Various Classes) 
**1 [[Covenant Supercruiser]]

==Timeline==

===August 30, 2552:===

*'''0447 Hours:''' The [[Remote Scanning Outpost]] [[Fermion]] detects incoming Covenant vessels. an emergency message is relayed to FLEETCOM.

*'''0500 Hours:''' A fleet of, according to Cortana, 314 Covenant vessels exits slipspace on the edge of the system. 

*'''0517 Hours:''' FLEETCOM [[Admiral Roland Freemont]] issues a general order to all vessels in the REACH, JERICHO, and TANTALUS systems. All vessels and stations initiate the [[Cole Protocol]] and rush to rally point ZULU.

*'''0534 Hours:''' Covenant vessels make Pinpoint [[Slipspace]] jumps attemting to destroy any incoming or outgoing human vessels before they can regroup. One vessel, a [[Covenant Carrier]] targets the ''[[Pillar of Autumn|UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]'' but is destroyed. 

*'''0545 Hours:''' The Covenant vessels begin a frontal assault. As the Covenant and Human fleet encounter above Reach, it seems to be a stalemate, as Covenant ships take out UNSC ships, while the UNSC ships and [[MAC GUN|MAC cannons]] take out an equal number. The first salvo by the UNSC vessels destroys a third of the Covenant. A Covenant ship, which was deemed a [[Covenant Supercruiser|"sniper ship"]] by [[Captain Keyes]], enters the fray and snipes out several UNSC ships while outside weapons range.

*'''0558 Hours:''' Reach Dockmaster [[AI]] [[Doppler]] sends priority message to FLEETCOM. The [[ONI]] prowler ''[[Circumference]]'', aboard [[Reach Station Gamma]], has failed to delete its information logs, in direct violation of the [[Cole Protocol]]. Covenant intrusion software detects the information. 

*'''0616 Hours:''' The [[Spartan]] soldiers are dispatched from the ''[[Pillar of Autumn]]''. A team of three Spartans go aboard the Dock to destroy the ''Circumfrence'', and the rest of the Spartans go to the surface of the planet to defend the power generators for the MAC guns.

*'''0620 Hours:''' The Covenant fleet retreats from the system. Hundreds of boarding craft land on Reach. 

*'''0621 Hours:''' The boarding craft are discovered. the Covenant fleet returns to the system. Then the Covenant split their 150+ remaining forces.  One fleet attacks the UNSC, while another takes out the MAC cannons and send in troops to land on Reach. The UNSC try to split their 50+ remaining forces to engage the Covenant, but there are too many things to cover and too many casualties.  The sniper ship continues to destroy UNSC ships and MAC cannons.  

*'''0631 Hours:''' The Spartan team on the generator defense mission is shot down. They have no choice but to jump from the crashing [[Pelican]] and make a "hard landing" on the ground. 4 die, 6 are wounded badly. 

*'''0637 Hours:''' The Spartan team on the ''Circumfrence'' mission returns to the ''Pillar of Autumn''. Only [[Master Chief|SPARTAN-117]] and clinicly dead [[Spartan-058|SPARTAN-058]] make it back.

*'''0640 Hours:''' 20 new Covenant cruisers emerge from slipspace. The Covenant begin [[glassing]] Reach starting from the poles.

*'''0647 Hours:''' The ''Pillar of Autumn'', pursued by a dozen Covenant vessels, retreats from the system, arriving at [[Installation 04]].

*'''0649 Hours:''' Spartans on the ground set up defenses around [[ODG Facility A-331]]. 

*'''0711 Hours:''' [[Spartan-104|SPARTAN-104]], [[Spartan-029|SPARTAN-029]], and [[Spartan-087|SPARTAN-087]] drop a nuclear warhead on a landing Covenant cruiser, losing [[Spartan-029|SPARTAN-029]] in the process.

*'''0720 Hours:''' The Covenant destroy ODG Facility A-331, by aerial bombardment, apparently killing all Spartans there. The surviving MAC guns are now offline. Remaining UNSC vessels have no choice but to retreat.

==Losses==
*Over 130 UNSC ships and all [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon | Super-MACs]] were destroyed, in addition to the military installation itself. Covenant losses include the following:

1 Carrier and her fighter compliment destroyed by the Pillar of Autumn upon entering the system.
Approximately 104 ships destroyed by Reach's minefield and the opening U.N.S.C. Fleet and Super-MAC barrage.
30 more ships destroyed by continuing Super-MAC fire.
Approximately 24-36 dropships shattered by Super-MAC shockwaves.
3 additional suicidal Covenant frigates.
100 additional dropships destroyed by retasked Archer missile fire from the Pilliar of Autumn.
1 Covenant Flagship destroyed by remote detonated nuclear warhead from the Pillar of Autumn.
1 Covenant Cruiser destroyed by Spartan-087 including its 10,000 landing troops.
Numerous other losses inflicted by other USCM and Spartan units groundside and on Reach Station Gamma.

In total, approximately 140 Covenant capital ships were lost at Reach in addition to well over a hundred troop transports.

==Links==
===Ships===
====UNSC====
*''[[UNSC Trafalgar]]''
*''[[UNSC Hannibal]]''
*''[[UNSC Gettysburg]]''
*''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]''
*''[[UNSC Dawn Under Heaven]]''
*''[[UNSC Iroquois]]''
*''[[UNSC Euphrates]]''
*''[[UNSC Lancelot]]
*''[[UNSC Basra]]''
*''[[UNSC Musashi]]''
*''[[UNSC Tharsis]]''
*''[[UNSC Minotaur]]''
*''[[UNSC Herodotus]]''
*''[[Circumference]]
*[[Fermion|Remote Sensing Station ''Fermion'']]

===Characters===
====UNSC====
*[[Admiral Roland Freemont]]
*[[Admiral Whitcomb|Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb]]
*[[Captain Jacob Keyes]]