Editing Fall of Reach

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Battle

|image=[[File:Fall_of_Reach_1.jpg|315px]]

|prev=[[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]

|conc=[[Battle of Tribute]], [[First Battle of Sword Base]] [[Operation: UPPER CUT‎]], [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]], [[Siege of New Alexandria]], [[Battle of Asźod]]

|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]

|date=[[2552#July|July 25, 2552]] - [[2552#August|August 30, 2552]]<ref name="H3R">[[:File:ONI Plaque Right.jpg|'''Halo 3: ODST''', ''Reference of Reach event'']]</ref><ref group="note">While the time stamps in ''Halo Reach'' use Reach's local time, the dates given are based on the UNSC military calendar. This is supported by the entries in [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]].</ref> <br/>

*Isolated skirmishes on July 23 and 24; final skirmish on [[2552#September|September 7]]

|place=[[Epsilon Eridani system]], planet [[Reach]]  

|result=

'''Major Tactical Covenant victory'''<br>

*Reach [[Glassing|glassed]]

*Heavy casualties incurred on both sides

'''Minor strategic UNSC victory'''

*{{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} successfully escapes to [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]] with [[Cortana]]

|side1=[[UNSC Armed Forces]]

|side2=[[Covenant]]

*[[Admiral]] [[Roland Freemont]]†

*[[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]]†

*[[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]]

*[[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]]

*[[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]]

*[[Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Unidentified Shipmaster]]

*[[Shipmaster]] [[Kantar 'Utaralee]]  

*385,421,100 available military manpower<ref name="factbook">[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=intel '''Bungie.net''': ''CAA Factbook on Reach's military power'']</ref>

***152 warships (August 30)<ref name="TFoR 343"/>

****[[UNSC Trafalgar|One]] {{Class|Punic|supercarrier}}  

****[[UNSC Musashi|One]] [[UNSC carrier|carrier]]

****[[UNSC Valiant|One]] [[Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser|super-heavy cruiser]]

****Three cruisers

****Several dozen [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]]

****Numerous [[UNSC frigate|frigates]]

****Numerous [[UNSC corvette|corvettes]]

****Twenty [[orbital defense platform]]s

**58,485 land assets<ref name="factbook"/>

***26 [[Spartan-IIs]]<ref name="Drops"/><ref name="Wars">'''Halo Wars''' [[Halowars.com/Timeline|timeline]]</ref><ref name="FS Adjunct">'''Halo: First Strike''' (2010) Adjunct)</ref><ref name="DttE">[http://www.youtube.com/user/HaloWaypoint#p/a/DF8EE7CCE045CAA0/0/jh7Q3fjIIwc '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Defiant to the End'']</ref><ref name="Library">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''', [[Library (feature)|Library]] - Pelican</ref><!-- This figure includes the 25 NAVSPECWEAP Spartan-IIs recalled to Reach (as stated in the listed sources) as well as Jorge.-->

***[[Noble Team]]

***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]

****[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]

***[[Reach militia]]

**11,050 air assets<ref name="factbook"/>

*Around 315 ships<ref name="TFoR 343">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 343 (Definitive Edition)''. ''"I am presently tracking three hundred fourteen Covenant ships."'' Taking into account the carrier that the ''Pillar of Autumn'' had destroyed only moments before results in a count of 315 ships.</ref><ref name="tfor296">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)''', ''page 296''</ref><ref group="note">During the opening cutscene of the ''[[Halo 2]]'' level "[[Cairo Station (level)|Cairo Station]]", [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] states that the fleet that destroyed Reach was "fifty times" larger than the fifteen-ship fleet attacking Earth; taken at face value, it would seem that Hood is speaking in hyperbole. The 2010 reissue of ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' took this statement literally and changed the number of ships at Reach from around 300 to "over 750"; however, this change was made in only one instance, with all other statements regarding the fleet's size remaining consistent with prior versions of the novel. While the 2011 ''Definitive Edition'' removed this change, it is repeated in the comic book adaption, ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]''.</ref>

**[[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]]

***[[Long Night of Solace|One]] {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}

|casual1=*Catastrophic

c. 700,000,000 military and civilian casualties

*Over 130 ships

*20 orbital defense platforms

*All refit and repair stations

*Majority of ground forces

**Unknown number of Spartan-IIs and at least seventeen [[SPARTAN-IIIs]]

*Over 100 ships

{{Quote|We knew this day would come. They have found our fortress among the stars. The [[Covenant]] are on Reach. They will burn this planet, kill millions, and when Reach falls—and fall it will—there will be nothing left to stand between them - and [[Earth]].|[[Dr. Catherine Halsey]]<ref>[[Halo: Reach ViDoc: A Spartan Will Rise|'''Halo: Reach''': ''"A Spartan Will Rise" ViDoc'']]</ref>}}

The '''Fall of Reach''',<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 198''</ref><ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/abouthalo/timeline '''Waypoint''': ''Halo Official Timeline'']</ref> also known as the '''Battle of Reach''',<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=30646 '''Bungie.net:''' ''Defiant Map Pack'']</ref> was one of the largest and bloodiest engagements in the [[Human-Covenant War]]. It was fought on and around the human colony world of [[Reach]] in the Epsilon Eridani system, between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]] from [[2552|July 25 to August 30, 2552]].<ref name="H3R"/>

Initial skirmishes began on July 23, 2552, when a small Covenant task force led by the [[CSO-class supercarrier|supercarrier]] ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' covertly established a foothold on Reach. The Covenant began to solidify their hold and began searching for Forerunner relics as the UNSC counter-attacked, attempting to drive the Covenant off the surface before reinforcements arrived. Ultimately, the UNSC was unsuccessful, and substantial Covenant reinforcements under Thel 'Vadamee arrived in the system. After hard fighting, the Covenant breached the orbital defense grid and overran the UNSC's planetside forces. After overwhelming the defenders, the Covenant [[Glassing|glassed]] the planet. Isolated skirmishes between UNSC remnants and the Covenant forces continued until their recovery by a small rescue party led by [[John-117]].

Though the battle was a clear defeat for the UNSC, [[Noble Team]] preventing the Cortana fragment from falling into enemy hands subsequently led the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], where they [[Battle of Installation 04|engaged the Covenant in a decisive battle]]. The experience gleaned on Installation 04, and the subsequent political schism within the Covenant, would be invaluable to the ultimate Covenant defeat.

==Prelude==

At some point before July 19, 2552, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] ran a series of calculations that predicted the future movement of the Covenant force sweeping throughout [[Milky Way|the galaxy]]. Based on these calculations, ONI determined that there was an 87% probability that the Epsilon Eridani system would be discovered by the Covenant within five months. [[Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky]], the head of ONI, debated with [[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]] about using Reach as the stage for the planned [[Operation: RED FLAG]]; the pair considered that the presence of large-scale [[Forerunner]] artifacts on the planet would be a source of Covenant interest in the planet. The rest of the UNSC, however, was given no warning of the predicted attack.<ref name="Drops">'''[[Data Drop]]'''</ref>

ONI's prediction came true less than a month after Admiral Parangosky sent her message. Despite suffering a severe defeat at the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant managed to place a tracking device on the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}} with the intent of using it to find human colony worlds. When the ''Iroquois'' returned to [[Reach]], the human presence - and its extent - was revealed to the Covenant. However, the location of Reach itself was already known to the Covenant; a Forerunner artifact that the Covenant had recovered from [[Sigma Octanus IV]] indicated that Reach held another artifact, proving Parangosky's and Stanforth's suspicions correct.

Before dispatching a full-scale force, the Covenant sent the [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]], consisting of several {{Class|SDV|heavy corvette}}s and a {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}, ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', to Reach to serve as a pre-invasion force; after arriving at Reach, the fleet clandestinely deployed a large ground force to the [[Viery Territory]]. This invasion force was cloaked from UNSC sensors by sophisticated [[stealth pylon]]s deployed around it. The Covenant also sent a small [[Sangheili Zealot]] strike team led by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal|Field Marshal]] to recover a Forerunner artifact from an excavation site near the [[Visegrád Relay|Visegrád communications outpost]].

{{Quote|ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, NOBLE One.|[[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]]<ref name="actual">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Noble Actual]]''</ref>}}

On the night of July 23, 2552, two days before the invasion began, the Covenant dispatched a small strike force, forces from the Fleet of Valiant Prudence disable the [[Visegrád Relay|communications array]] at [[Visegrád]], leaving Reach isolated from the rest of the UNSC.<ref>'''[[Remember Reach]]''', ''[[Patrol]]''</ref> This operation, however, went unnoticed by the UNSC and it was surmised by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] that the local [[insurrectionist]] organization, an ultra-radical cell of the [[People's Occupation]],<ref>[[Data Drop/DDR2]]</ref> was responsible for the loss of contact with the facility.<ref name="actual"/> In response, several [[UNSC Army|Army]] fireteams were sent to investigate the matter. Contact with these fireteams was lost shortly thereafter.<ref name="actual"/>

{{Quote|Colonel, this is NOBLE One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach.|[[Carter-A259]]<ref name="winter">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Winter Contingency (level)|Winter Contingency]]''</ref>}}

The day after the Visegrád Relay was disabled, [[SPARTAN Program|Spartan]] [[NOBLE Team]] was sent to investigate the disturbance in lieu of the missing Army fireteams. Upon landing in Visegrád and scouting the surrounding countryside, NOBLE Team quickly discovered that insurrectionists were not responsible for the attack; a small Covenant advance force had found Reach and landed at Visegrád, with the intent of disabling Reach's communications with other UNSC colonies.<ref name="winter"/> After wiping out the advance force, NOBLE Team proceeded to the relay station, where they were ambushed by a group of [[Sangheili Zealot]]s, a team sent to hunt down vital data on a [[Forerunner]] artifact. [[WINTER CONTINGENCY]] was then declared on Reach.<ref name="EDGE">[http://www.edge-online.com/ '''EDGE Magazine''', ''February 2010'']</ref><ref name="GI">[http://gameinformer.com/mag/haloreach.aspx '''GameInformer''', ''February 2010'']</ref>

==The battle==

Operating using cloaking technology and stealth tactics, the Covenant had created a fortified landing zone on Reach, with anti-air guns around the perimeter of their staging area in the [[Viery Territory]] where they had covertly inserted a large amount of forces, including several corvettes.

{{Main|First Battle of Sword Base}}

Two days after the skirmish at Visegrád, the Covenant attacked [[SWORD Base]] in an attempt to overrun the ONI facility and access the [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|Forerunner structures]] there.<ref name="sword">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[ONI: Sword Base]]''</ref> However, these forces were repulsed after NOBLE Team reinforced the base and brought its [[M71 Anti-Aircraft Gun]]s and communications back online. The Covenant [[SDV-class heavy corvette|corvette]] attacking it was forced to retreat and was destroyed by an [[orbital defense platform]]'s [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]].<ref name="sword"/>

{{Main|Battle at Szurdok Ridge}}

{{Quote|We are now under attack across the Viery territory, including orbital defenses. As per the WINTER CONTINGENCY, we are countering on every front.|[[Auntie Dot]]<ref name="tots">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Tip of the Spear]]''</ref>}}

[[File:UNSC Attack.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UNSC ground forces charge a Covenant formation in the [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]].]]

Over two weeks after the defense of SWORD Base, the UNSC sent reconnaissance teams into Covenant-controlled territory in preparation for a counterattack and to investigate the enemy positions and forces they would be facing. With a Covenant staging ground on Reach, the [[UNSC Army]], [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] launched a joint offensive in an attempt to defeat the Covenant forces before reinforcements could arrive.<ref name="tots"/> The assault was spearheaded by the Army and NOBLE Team, who attacked Covenant [[Type-38 Anti-Aircraft Cannon|anti-air weapons]] to make way for [[GA-TL1 Longsword]]s and {{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}}s to make bombing runs. The attack, though initially successful, was thwarted when a cloaked {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}, ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', appeared over the area, attacking the UNSC frigates and reinforcing the Covenant troops.<ref name="tots"/> Meanwhile, Covenant forces made another strike on SWORD Base, this time with much greater success. Around this time, sixty percent of the Fleet was recalled to Reach from existing deployments; these reinforcements were scheduled to arrive by August 15.<ref name="lnos"/>

{{Main|Operation: UPPER CUT}}

[[File:LNoS ends.jpg|right|thumb|''Long Night of Solace'' being destroyed.]]

{{Quote|no=five|Air Control (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|ATC 2 (COM)|Colonel Holland (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|q1=They're everywhere!|q2=Slipspace rupture detected.|q3=Oh no, this can't be happening!|q4=Must be the whole damn Covenant fleet!|q5=Slipspace rupture detected.|The UNSC panics in horror followed by screams on the communications channel as a massive combined Covenant fleet arrives<ref>[[Halo: Reach]]-[[Long Night of Solace]]</ref>}}

The arrival of the supercarrier led to [[Operation: UPPER CUT]], in which NOBLE Team used [[YSS-1000 Sabre]]s and the corvette ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'' to deliver an improvised [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine#Atypical uses|slipspace drive "bomb"]] to the supercarrier and destroy it.<ref name="lnos">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''</ref> [[SPARTAN-B312]], [[Jorge-052]], and a team of [[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]] pilots, with the aid of the frigate ''Savannah'', boarded the ''Ardent Prayer'' and took control of it.<ref name="lnos"/> Noble Five then sacrificed himself to destroy ''Long Night of Solace.'' However, just as the supercarrier was destroyed, a fleet of Covenant warships exited slipspace in orbit over the planet.<ref name="lnos"/> Despite the mission's success, the destruction of the supercarrier was an inadvertent setback for [[Operation: RED FLAG]].<ref name="Drops"/>

 

{{Main|Siege of New Alexandria}}

{{Quote|Your report will have to wait, Lieutenant. The Covenant are jamming all comms to Command. [[Kat-B320|Kat]] needs your help running a counter-op.|Commander [[Carter-A259]]<ref name="alexandria">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria (level)|New Alexandria]]''</ref>}}

 

 

 

Redeployed, NOBLE Team and a small force of [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] were ordered to destroy the Covenant-occupied SWORD Base in a "torch-and-burn" operation.<ref name="thepackage">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[The Package (level)|The Package]]''</ref> Proceeding into the base, the team encountered [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]], who enlisted their help in defending her laboratory amid the ruins of a Forerunner [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|complex]] from advancing Covenant forces. Halsey ordered Noble Six, Carter, and Emile to transport a fragment of the AI [[Cortana]] to the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, while [[Jun-A266]] escorted her to [[CASTLE Base]] elsewhere on Reach.<ref name="thepackage"/>

 

{{Quote|multi=more|q1=[[Gamma Station]], this is [[Fermion]] RSO. Unconfirmed reports of an in-system [[slipspace]] rupture.|Fermion Remote Sensing Outpost|q2=Impossible. Check your source.|Reach Station Gamma|q3=There's no mistake. It's them.|Fermion RSO|Conversation between Fermion and Gamma on the arrival of the Covenant armada}}

As August 30 dawned, a massive Covenant combined fleet — headed by [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] and his [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] — was detected exiting [[slipspace]] on the edge of the system.<ref name="THC">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/the-halo-conflict-1/871ebdfd-0500-49e6-b1c3-137b909aac73 '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''The Halo Conflict, Part 1'']</ref> The fleet was first detected in slipspace by [[remote scanning outpost]] ''[[Fermion]]''. The station's commander, [[Chief Petty Officer]] [[McRobb]], sent an emergency message to [[UNSC Fleet Command|FLEETCOM]] and ordered self-destruct to prevent the station's data from falling into enemy hands. A few minutes later, 315 Covenant ships exited slipspace at the edge of the [[Epsilon Eridani system]].<ref name="TFoR 343"/> [[Admiral]] [[Roland Freemont]] issued [[UNSC Alpha Priority Transmission 04592Z-83]], ordering all ships in the Epsilon Eridani system<ref name="TFoR 343"/> to rendezvous at Reach in preparation for the coming assault. The Covenant moved in on the orbital defenses before the UNSC fleet fully consolidated. Fifty-three belated UNSC ships,<ref name="TFoR 343"/> including the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, ran a gauntlet of screening Covenant warships as they attempted to link up with the main fleet. At this time, only about a hundred UNSC ships were readily available to defend Reach.<ref name="TFoR 343"/>

 

The main Covenant force moved in on the orbital defenses. The initial salvo of [[plasma turret|plasma torpedoes]] was mostly absorbed by the sacrifice of three refit and repair stations, allowing the defenders to return fire.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach Definitive Edition''', ''page 354''</ref> The [[orbital defense platform]]s and four nuclear mines combined to take down a full third of the Covenant fleet. The vaporized [[Titanium-A armor]] of the refit stations also served to block incoming plasma torpedoes. However, the next Covenant salvo significantly damaged the UNSC fleet, as the Covenant maneuvered for clear shots around the titanium dust cloud and moved in for the kill. They destroyed five of the Super MAC platforms, further crippling the UNSC orbital perimeter, before retreating out of range. A [[Unidentified Covenant warship|previously unknown warship type]], armed with a powerful [[energy projector]], revealed itself and destroyed the {{UNSCShip|Minotaur}} and four other ships before withdrawing temporarily. The rest of the Covenant fleet withdrew to regroup after deploying hundreds of dropships to the surface. The remaining UNSC fleet of 20 ships pursued the Covenant dropships, destroying some, but many still made it through and landed on Reach's northern and southern poles.

 

{{Quote|There are thousands of them. Grunts, Jackals and their warrior Elites. They have [[Type-26 Wraith|tanks]] and [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|fliers]]. Christ, they've breached the perimeter. Fall back! Fall back! If anyone can hear this: the Covenant is ground-side. Massing near the armory!|UNSC Marine<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 300''</ref>}}

 

Thousands of Covenant landed on Reach in an attempt to destroy the [[orbital defense generator]]s, and were intercepted by Marine forces who were able to defend against the first few waves of Covenant forces while sustaining heavy casualties. The remaining [[Spartan-II]]s who were not assigned to ''Reach Station Gamma'' were sent to [[Orbital Defense Generator Facility A-331]] to assist in the defense of the station. Unfortunately, their Pelican transport, ''[[Bravo 001]]'', was shot down, resulting in the deaths of four Spartans (including [[Malcolm-059]]), and some others were wounded as well. Near their crash site, the surviving Spartans discovered the shell-shocked remnants of [[Charlie Company]].

 

[[File:Invasion - Red Team.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Spartans defend the generators from a swarm of Covenant.]]

 

 

 

Team Beta was unable to stop the Covenant, who attacked in swarms of thousands. The orbital defense generators were compromised, and the Covenant, after eliminating the powerless, immobile ODPs in geosynchronous orbit around the planet, began the glassing of Reach. The planet, having been steadily weakened during the invasion throughout the prior weeks, had fallen with relative ease to the might of the Covenant invaders.<ref name="THC"/>

 

 

 

 

Keyes returned to the ''Autumn'' with the package and prepared the ship for take off. Meanwhile, Noble Six took control of the mass driver and destroyed several Phantoms and Banshees before the Covenant cruiser came within range. As the cruiser prepared to destroy the ''Autumn'' with its [[energy projector]], Six fired directly into the ship's exposed glassing port. The resulting explosion crippled the cruiser.

With the skies cleared of hostiles, the ''Autumn'' took off and escaped Reach. Once in space, it made a slipspace jump to [[Installation 04]] (secretly arranged by Cortana). A dozen Covenant ships pursued, while the remaining vessels stayed behind to finish glassing Reach. Back at the shipyards, the stranded Noble Six continued fighting against the Covenant invaders. Eventually, the lone Spartan was overwhelmed and killed by a swarm of Sangheili warriors.

[[File:Glassed Reach.png|thumb|right|300px|Reach after its glassing.]]

{{Quote|We are not wasting a single UNSC ship to confirm what we have already seen a dozen times before: Reach is gone. Everything on it is blasted to bits, burned, glassed over, and vaporized. Everyone on Reach is dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.|[[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 104-105''</ref>}}

The UNSC lost their second largest military-industrial complex, after the [[Sol system|Sol System]], and sustained crippling military losses at Reach, losing over a hundred ships, including irreplaceable cruisers and supercarriers such as the {{UNSCShip|Basra}}, {{UNSCShip|Trafalgar}}, and the {{UNSCShip|Musashi}}, not to mention the large numbers of civilian and military personnel killed by the invading Covenant forces. With the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] in [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] hands, there were no further major stop points before Sol. Some estimates put total defeat as a matter of weeks. The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] believed that the location of Sol was compromised and began relocating heavy industry facilities and command centers out of the system.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=6 '''Bungie.net''', '' Jason Jones Interviewed By You'']</ref>

 

At the same time, despite such a devastating defeat, the UNSC still fared better than in previous battles. Even against the militarily and technologically superior enemy, outnumbered 2:1, they still managed to inflict disproportionate losses to the Covenant, due largely to the twenty orbital defense platforms orbiting Reach. The ferocious defense was so effective that at least [[Valorous Salvation|one Covenant ship]] outright fled the battle. The [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Cortana]] commandeered the fleeing {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} to the previously undiscovered [[Installation 04|fourth]] [[Forerunner]] [[Halo Array|Halo]]. While the [[Battle of Installation 04]] was tangential to the main front, the containment of the initial [[Flood]] outbreak - and the experience gained - was just as critical to the survival of the UNSC.

 

While Reach was the Covenant armada's main target, the other colonies in Epsilon Eridani would also come under attack. [[Tribute]] was [[Battle of Tribute|besieged]] by Covenant forces for several months, ending only when the [[Great Schism]] caused the Jiralhanae and Sangheili to turn on each other, ignoring the human defenders. The small colony on [[Beta Gabriel]] was [[Battle of Beta Gabriel|destroyed]] when ''Valorous Salvation'' deserted the Covenant fleet and fled there; ODSTs arrived shortly thereafter and killed all the Covenant deserters without incurring losses.

 

{{Main|Raid on Reach}}

As the Covenant began glassing Reach, the surviving Spartans continued their fight. Team Gamma; a Red team splinter composed of Anton-044; Grace-093 and Li-008, had managed to survive and complete their mission to rescue Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb from HIGHCOM. Too late to reach CASTLE base, they hid in the mountains attacking Covenant units with the use of guerrilla tactics as opposed to a conventional assault. They programmed their MJOLNIR suits to transmit the "Oly Oly Oxen Free" secret code on E-Band radio, hoping that any surviving Spartans would discover it and help them.

 

Meanwhile underneath the ruins of CASTLE base, Dr. Halsey and five Spartans (Fred, Kelly, Will, Vinh, and Isaac) had spent five days combing the remains of a Forerunner structure and an additional five days trapped in a hallway inside the ruins by Covenant forces. They managed to retrieve a [[Forerunner crystal]] that the Covenant were seeking, but it emitted a burst of radiation which alerted the Covenant to their presence. Vinh and Isaac fell at the hands of overwhelming Covenant forces, and the others escaped by blowing the hallway down behind them.

 

After the survivors were recovered by ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', a Covenant Flagship captured by [[John-117]] after the [[Battle of Installation 04]], the ship drew a group of Covenant vessels out of the system in pursuit to [[Eridanus Secundus]], leading to the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus|destruction of the asteroid colony]], and the destruction of the artifact and the recovery of only a small number of pieces by the Covenant. The ''Ascendant Justice'' also destroyed around sixteen Covenant warships during the escape in slipspace and at the rebel base.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 339''</ref>

 

*The [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]] is sent to the Epsilon Eridani system to begin the attack on Reach and to prepare the planet for the Covenant's main offensive.

*Fireteam [[3 Charlie]], along with other special warfare fireteams under command of [[Urban Holland|Colonel Holland]], are sent to invetigate [[Visegrad]] after contact with the comms relay is lost.

===July 24, 2552===

*'''0728 Hours:''' [[Noble Team]] is ordered to investigate a possible [[Insurrectionist]] activity at the disabled [[Visegrád Relay]]. Shortly after, the team learns that the Covenant are responsible for the attack on the relay. After retaking the relay, Noble Team discovers a data module on one of the dead staff. [[WINTER CONTINGENCY]] is declared.

===July 26, 2552===

*'''1128 hours:''' A [[SDV-class heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]] attacks ONI [[Sword Base]]. Noble Team is deployed to secure the base and surrounding outposts. After the corvette is destroyed by orbital bombardment, Noble Team meets up with [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]] and hands over the data module retrieved from Visegrád Relay.

===August 11, 2552===

*'''2630 hours''' Two members of Noble Team, Noble Six and Noble Three, investigate a Covenant-held "dark zone" in the Viery Territory, which UNSC instruments are unable to penetrate. The pair pushes into the zone, encountering moderate Covenant resistance, and locates a Covenant stealth pylon. After rigging the pylon with explosives, Six and Three push further into the zone and discover that the Covenant have covertly established a large landing zone, with at least two Corvettes and many ground assets.

*'''0800 hours:''' The [[UNSC Army]] begins a full scale assault on the [[Viery Territory]]. Noble Team is sent to gather intelligence of Covenant-occupied sites and to destroy an [[Spire One|EMP-emitting Covenant tower]]. The UNSC learn too late that the tower served as a teleporter linked to a cloaked [[Covenant supercarrier]]. The {{UNSCShip|Grafton}} is destroyed by the supercarrier's [[energy projector]].

===August 13, 2552===

*'''2007 hours:''' Covenant invasion of Reach is fully underway. Noble Team begins developing a plan to destroy the enemy supercarrier with a [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] used as a makeshift bomb. [[Auntie Dot]] informs [[Noble Team]] that 60% of the UNSC fleet is en route to Reach, the first battlegroup set to enter the system in 48 hours.

===August 14, 2552===

*'''1248 hours:''' Covenant forces once again attack [[Sword Base]] and occupy the site. Dr. Halsey escapes capture by hiding under the facility.

*'''1248 hours:''' Noble Team assaults and retakes the [[Sabre Program Launch/Research Range|Sabre launch facility]] and use it as a staging point for a battle above Reach. Using the Slipspace drive from the {{UNSCShip|Savannah}}, Noble Team disables and boards one of the Covenant corvettes and use it as the detonation point for the bomb. Due to a malfunction with the triggering mechanism, a [[Jorge-052|member]] of Noble Team is forced to detonate the bomb manually. The supercarrier is destroyed just as a larger [[Covenant fleet]] arrives above Reach.

* '''[[Siege of New Alexandria]]''': Covenant invasion force under the command of [[Jiralhanae]] begin an assault on [[New Alexandria]].

===August 23, 2552===

*'''1534 hours:''' The Covenant fleet begins glassing targeted areas of Reach, and a battle breaks out in [[New Alexandria]]. Noble Six and remaining [[UNSC Army|Army]] troopers assist in the evacuation of civilians from the city.

*'''1857 hours:''' Noble Six links up with the rest of Noble Team. The team destroys three jammers installed by the Covenant, allowing the UNSC to safely evacuate all personnel from the [[Olympic Tower|ONI HQ]]. When the team reunites, they are ordered by [[Urban Holland|Colonel Holland]] to proceed to Sword Base. New Alexandria is glassed, and another [[Kat-B320|member]] of NOBLE Team is killed by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal]] shortly after its commencement.

===August 26, 2552===

*The remnants of [[NOBLE Team]] are extracted by a Pelican from the ruins of [[New Alexandria]].

===August 29, 2552===

*[[SPARTAN-B312]] and a team of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]] secure a landing zone for NOBLE Team's Falcon. Later NOBLE Team proceeds inside [[Sword Base]] only to learn their [[The Package (level)|true mission]]: escort a part of Cortana to the ''Pillar of Autumn''.

===August 30, 2552===

[[File:Reach glassed.png|thumb|right|250px|Reach being glassed by the Covenant.]]

*'''0447 Hours:''' The [[remote scanning outpost]] ''[[Fermion]]'' detects more incoming Covenant vessels. An emergency message is relayed to [[UNSC Fleet Command|FLEETCOM]]. The outpost then self-destructs per the [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1|Cole Protocol]] due to an unsecured science library and nearby Covenant forces.

*'''0500 Hours:''' A Covenant armada comprised of 315 vessels exits slipspace on the edge of the system.<ref name="tfor296"/> With the planet's defenses weakened by the invasion fleets that had arrived previously, the fleet begins to press forward.<ref name="THC"/>

*'''0517 Hours:''' [[Admiral]] [[Roland Freemont]] (FLEETCOM Sector One Commander) issues a general order to all vessels in the [[Reach]] system.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 289''</ref> All vessels and stations initiate the [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1|Cole Protocol]] and rush to Rally Point ZULU.

*'''0534 Hours:''' Covenant vessels make pinpoint slipspace jumps attempting to destroy any incoming or outgoing human vessels before they can regroup. A {{Class|DDS|carrier}} targets the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} but is destroyed.

*'''0545 Hours:''' The Covenant vessels begin a frontal assault. As the Covenant and human fleets engage above Reach, it seems to be a stalemate, as Covenant ships take out UNSC ships, while the UNSC ships and MAC cannons take out an equal number. The first salvo by the UNSC vessels destroys a third of the remaining Covenant fleet. An [[unidentified Covenant warship]] arrives and destroys several UNSC ships while outside human weapons range.

*'''0558 Hours:''' Station Gamma Dockmaster [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Doppler]] is unable to implement the Cole Protocol on the {{UNSCShip|Circumference}}, an ONI prowler docked at [[Gamma Station|Reach Station Gamma]], due to [[Contingency Plan: TANGO|measures]] taken to maintain the secrecy of [[Operation: HYPODERMIC]]. Doppler sends priority message to FLEETCOM concerning this violation. Covenant intrusion software detects this oversight, and the Covenant deploys troops to seize the NAV database aboard the ''Circumference''.

*'''0616 Hours:''' The Spartan-IIs are dispatched from the ''Pillar of Autumn''. [[John-117]], [[Linda-058]], and [[James-005]] form [[Blue Team]] and go aboard the Dock to destroy the ''Circumference'', while the remainder form [[Red Team]] and head to the surface of Reach to defend the power generators for the MAC guns. James goes MIA when a Needler hits his [[thruster pack]] and propels him into space during combat. Blue Team continue through the station, rescuing Staff Sergeant [[Avery Junior Johnson|Johnson]]; Private [[O'Brien]], Private [[Bisenti]], and Pvt. [[Wallace A. Jenkins]] from Kig-yar and Sangheili.

*'''0620 Hours:''' Most of the Covenant fleet retreats from the system after deploying more dropships toward the surface. The UNSC fleet fires on the ships, destroying many although hundreds still land on Reach.

*'''0621 Hours:''' The boarding craft are landed and the armory is overrun; the Covenant fleet re-enters the system. The Covenant split their 150+ remaining ships. One fleet attacks the UNSC ships, 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 platforms to cover and too many casualties. The supercruiser continues to destroy UNSC ships, allowing the other ships to attack the MACs. Eventually, the supercruiser is destroyed by the ''Pillar of Autumn'', but the UNSC fleet is practically decimated so it is too late to do any good.

*'''0631 Hours:''' Red Team's [[Bravo 001|Pelican]] is shot down. They have no choice but to jump from the crashing Pelican and make a "hard landing" on the ground. Results in four dead and six seriously injured.

*'''0637 Hours:''' John-117, the clinically dead Linda-058, and the Marines board the ''Pillar of Autumn''.

*'''0647 Hours:''' Captain Keyes of the ''Pillar of Autumn'' orders the vessel to retreat from the system. However, Dr. Catherine Halsey contacts the ''Autumn'', urgently requesting that Keyes drydock at the [[Asźod ship breaking yards]] on Reach to collect Cortana's fragment and the vital information she held.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref> Keyes used the brief time on the surface to make minor repairs to the ''Autumn''.<ref group="note">This entry, while possibly not entirely accurate, is an attempt to reconcile an inconsistency between ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: Reach''. In ''The Fall of Reach'', the ''Pillar of Autumn'' is said to jump away from the system at this time. However, as revealed in ''Halo: Reach'', the vessel had initiated an emergency drydock at 16:52. This implies that the ''Autumn'' either remained in the system after its supposed jump, or that the part of the book with the ship escaping has been overridden altogether.</ref>

*'''0649 Hours:''' Red Team sets up defenses around ODG Facility A-331.

*'''0711 Hours:''' [[Frederic-104|Fred-104]], [[Joshua-029]], and [[Kelly-087]] plant a nuclear warhead through the gravity lift in a landing Covenant cruiser, leaving Joshua-029 [[Missing in action|MIA]], (presumed [[Killed in action|KIA]]) in the process.

*'''0720 Hours:''' The Covenant destroys ODG Facility A-331 by aerial bombardment, though some Spartans escape. The surviving MAC guns are now offline and are quickly destroyed by plasma torpedoes. Remaining UNSC vessels have no choice but to retreat. The Covenant warships are split into two groups: five-ship teams that hunt down the surviving UNSC vessels and a group of ships that align themselves in formation and begin to glass Reach.

*'''1652 hours''': The remainder of [[Noble Team]] consisting of Carter-A259, Emile-A239, and SPARTAN-B312 head to the Asźod ship breaking yards to deliver a fragment of Cortana, which holds important navigation data, to the ''Pillar of Autumn''. Carter rams his Pelican into a Scarab, allowing the remaining parts of Noble Team to pass. Emile and SPARTAN-B312 head to platform D in the ship breaking yards to meet with Captain Keyes and to deliver Cortana over. Emile dies when he is stabbed by a Covenant Zealot wielding an Energy Sword. SPARTAN-B312 successfully delivers the package to the ''Autumn'' and allows the vessel to escape by destroying an incoming Covenant battlecruiser using a mass driver. The ''Pillar of Autumn'', pursued by a dozen Covenant vessels, retreats from the system, heading for [[Installation 04]].

*'''2000 Hours:''' [[SPARTAN-B312]] is one of the few standing survivors at the ship-breaking yards of Asźod and the planet Reach. The Spartan makes a final stand, fighting off waves of Covenant ground forces, eventually being overwhelmed and killed by a swarm of Sangheili warriors.

*[[UNSC]] fleet actions in the [[Reach Defense Coordination Zone]] cease.<ref name="loot2">'''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]''', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]''</ref>

*'''0002 Hours:''' The Spartan Red team survivors and Dr. Halsey, after days of walking through the abandoned Titanium mines below CASTLE base, reach a corridor covered in Forerunner symbols.

**Shortly afterwards: A series of detonations by Covenant forces looking for them cause the deaths of [[Vinh-030]] and [[Isaac-039]].

*Unknown time: The survivors of the Battle of Installation 04 arrive at Reach, having experienced a temporal anomaly caused by a [[Forerunner crystal]], sending them nearly two weeks into the past.

:*{{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, ''Halcyon''-class

:*[[UNSC Tharsis (Reach)|UNSC ''Tharsis'']]

:*{{UNSCShip|Alliance}}

<!--Please note that the Commonwealth was already being scrapped and should not be included as a participant.-->

 

 

*[[Lieutenant]] [[SPARTAN-B312]]

*[[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]] [[David Brightling]]

*[[Major (UNSC)|Major]] [[Antonio Silva]]

*[[Private First Class]] [[Wallace A. Jenkins]]

 

{{col-begin}}

*''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' - {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}

*''[[Seeker of Truth]]'' - {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}

*''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''

*[[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]]

*[[Sangheili General|General]] [[Ardo 'Moretumee]]

*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rho 'Barutamee]]

*[[Chieftain]] [[Parabum]]

 

*[[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]]

*[[McRobb|Chief Petty Officer McRobb]] compared the Fall of Reach to the Japanese [[Wikipedia:Attack on Pearl Harbor|surprise attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941. He noted that, like Reach, Pearl Harbor was once thought too strong to attack.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 283''</ref>

*At the time of the invasion, at least one hurricane was raging on the surface of Reach.<ref name="lnos"/>

File:Reach 5016770 Full.jpg|The [[UNSC Grafton|''Grafton'']] and [[UNSC Saratoga|''Saratoga'']] engaging Covenant ground targets.

File:Noble Team Reach.jpg|Jorge-052, Jun-A266, Emile-A239 and SPARTAN-B312 watch as Kat-320 formulates a plan.

File:Reach-UNSC Savannah.png|The {{UNSCShip|Savannah}} being escorted by a formation of [[YSS-1000 Sabre|Sabres]].

File:HaloReach - Space Battle.jpg|The ''Savannah'' and a [[YSS-1000 Sabre|Sabre]] engage a [[Covenant corvette]] over Reach.

File:Reach AssaultCarriers.jpg|A Covenant fleet entering the system just after the destruction of the ''Long Night of Solace'' and ''Ardent Prayer''.

File:HaloReach - Package Intro.jpg|The ONI facilities at SWORD Base are destroyed.  

File:HaloReach - MACrusher.jpg|A planetary MAC cannon fires upon Covenant cruisers descending upon [[Asźod]] as surviving UNSC forces mount their escape.  

File:HGC - Covenant.jpg|A Covenant armoured column in ''[[Halo: Ground Command]]''.

File:TFoR-as-concept 5.jpg|The members of Blue Team meeting up in Reach's glasslands in 2558 to remember Sam's sacrifice.

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition|Limited Edition]]'' {{Mo}}

<references group="note"/>

{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Covenant Victories|Reach]]