Editing Timeline of the Fall of Reach

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Series/Battle/Fall of Reach}}

This is a '''timeline of the events slightly before, during, and slightly after the [[Fall of Reach]]'''. Officially, the Fall of Reach took place between July 25 and August 30, 2552.<ref name="H3R">[[:File:ONI Plaque Right.jpg|''Halo 3: ODST'', ONI Memorial]]</ref> Though notable skirmishes and engagements took place before and after this timeframe. Concurrently with these events, the [[Battle for Tribute]] as well as skirmishes for [[Site 17]] in the [[Oort cloud]] of the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] were taking place.

==July 2552==
===July 23===
*Fireteam [[3 Charlie]], along with other special warfare fireteams under command of [[Urban Holland|Colonel Holland]], are sent to investigate [[Visegrad]] after contact with the comms relay is lost.<ref name="hrwinter">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Winter Contingency]]</ref>

===July 24===
*'''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 [[Battle of Visegrád|the attack]] on the relay. After retaking the relay, Noble Team discovers a data module on one of the dead staff. [[WINTER CONTINGENCY (protocol)|WINTER CONTINGENCY]] is declared.{{Ref/Reuse|hrwinter}}

===July 26===
*'''1128 hours:''' A [[Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]] [[Battle of Sword Base|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]].<ref>''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[ONI: Sword Base]]</ref>

===July 27===
*Commander [[Ádám Virág]] receives a memorandum concerning the shipment of [[H-165 target locator]]s sent to SWORD Base.<ref>''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'', [[:File:LC 06 Doc2.jpg|Loot Crate#6]]</ref>

==August 2552==
===August 1===
*Half of [[Battle Group Leviathan]], including its flagship {{UNSCShip|Leviathan}}, arrives in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] under command of Vice Admiral [[Michael Stanforth]]; the other half of the battlegroup remains at Sigma Octanus to defend it further. Stanforth files a report to [[Margaret Parangosky]] noting his arrival and expressing his concerns about Parangosky's plan to use Reach as bait for [[Operation: RED FLAG]].{{Ref/Generic|[[Data Drop]]s|Detail=Data Drop #4}} Between this date and August 14, Battle Group Leviathan engages the [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]] across the Epsilon Eridani system, focusing on a series of engagements in the system's [[Oort cloud]] for control of [[Site 17]].{{Ref/Tabletop|HFB|Scenario=Scenario Three: Evacuate!}}

===August 5===
*Part of Cortana is copied in order to continue her mission with Blue Team, as well as translate Forerunner data.<ref>''Dr. Halsey's personal journal'', August 3 and August 5, 2552</ref>

===August 11===
*'''2630 hours''' Two members of Noble Team, Noble Six and Noble Three, [[Mission to Szurdok Ridge|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 three Corvettes and many ground assets.<ref>''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Nightfall]]</ref>

===August 12===
*'''0800 hours:''' [[UNSC]] forces begin 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]]. It is later discovered the tower served as a teleporter linked to a cloaked [[Covenant supercarrier]]. The {{UNSCShip|Grafton}} is destroyed by the supercarrier's [[energy projector]].<ref>''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Tip of the Spear]]</ref>
*{{UNSCShip|Iroquois}} and presumably the rest of Battle Group Leviathan return from Sigma Octanus IV to Reach.{{Ref/Book|Id=leviathan|Dr. Halsey's personal journal|Page=August 12, 2552}}
*'''1100 hours:''' [[John-117]] returns to Reach where he is debriefed by [[ONI]] at [[Camp Hathcock]]. {{Ref/Novel|Id=HTFORP256|TFOR|Page=256}}

===August 13===
*'''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, with the first battlegroup set to enter the system in 48 hours.<ref name="hrlnos">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]</ref>

===August 14===
*'''1248 hours:''' Covenant forces once again attack [[SWORD Base]] and occupy the site. Dr. Catherine Halsey escapes capture by descending to her lab hidden beneath the facility.{{Ref/Reuse|hrlnos}}

*'''1248 hours:''' Noble Team assaults and retakes the [[Sabre Program Launch/Research Range|Sabre launch facility]] and uses it as a staging point for [[Operation: UPPER CUT]]. Noble Team disables and boards one of the Covenant corvettes to use it as a delivery system for their improvised slipspace bomb. Due to a malfunction with the triggering mechanism, a [[Jorge-052|member]] of Noble Team is forced to detonate it manually. The supercarrier is destroyed just as a larger [[Covenant fleet]] arrives above Reach.{{Ref/Reuse|hrlnos}} Simultaneously, [[Operation: LEFT JAB]] took place, distracting parts of the Fleet of Valiant Prudence.<ref>''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'', [[Scenario Seven: Finishing Blow]]</ref>

===August 18===
*[[Siege of New Alexandria]]: Covenant invasion force under the command of [[Jiralhanae]] begin an assault on [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]].<ref name="hrexodus">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Exodus]]</ref>

===August 23===
*'''1534 hours:''' The Covenant fleet begins glassing targeted areas of Reach, and a battle breaks out in [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]]. Noble Six and remaining [[UNSC Army|Army]] troopers assist in the evacuation of civilians from the city.{{Ref/Reuse|hrexodus}}

*'''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 [[Catherine-B320|member]] of NOBLE Team is killed by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal]] shortly after its commencement.<ref name="hrnewalex">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[New Alexandria]]</ref>

===August 26===
*The remnants of [[NOBLE Team]] are extracted by a Pelican from the ruins of [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]].{{Ref/Reuse|hrnewalex}}

===August 27===
*[[Operation: RED FLAG]] is given the official "green light" by [[Hieronymus Michael Stanforth]].<ref name="datadrop5">''[[Data Drop|Data Drop 5]]''</ref>
*'''0800 hours:''' 25 of the 28 surviving Spartan-IIs assigned to Naval Special Weapons, (the remaining three being [[Gray Team]]), are recalled to the FLEETCOM Military Complex and are debriefed by Dr. Halsey and Captain Keyes on [[Operation: RED FLAG]].<ref name="Drops">''[[Data Drop]]''</ref><ref name="Wars">''[[Halo Wars]]'', [[Halo Wars Timeline Events|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>

===August 29===
*[[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|true mission]]: escort a part of Cortana to the ''Pillar of Autumn''.<ref>''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[The Package]]</ref>
*John-117 tests the new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V]] as well as AI integration on Reach.<ref>''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', August 29, 2552</ref> 

===August 30===
[[File:Reach glassed.png|thumb|250px|Reach being glassed by the Covenant.]]
*'''0414 Hours''': The UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'' is kept in Reach orbit by FLEETCOM over [[Lábatlan]].<ref>''[[Data Drop|Data Drop 6]]''</ref>
*'''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.<ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', Chapter 31</ref>

*'''0500 Hours:''' A Covenant armada comprised of 315 vessels exits slipspace on the edge of the system.<ref name="tfor296">''Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)'', p. 296</ref> With the planet's defenses weakened by the invasion fleets that had arrived previously, the fleet begins to press forward.<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>

*'''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'', p. 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 {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} targets the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} but is destroyed.<ref name="tforchapter33">''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Chapter 33</ref>

*'''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 {{Pattern|Kewu|battleship}} arrives and destroys several UNSC ships while outside human weapons range.{{Ref/Reuse|tforchapter33}}

*'''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''.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Chapter 34</ref>

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Chapters 34-35</ref><ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapter 1</ref>

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 347-349</ref>

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Chapter 36</ref>

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapter 2</ref>

*'''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 name="hrpoa">''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/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.}}

*'''0649 Hours:''' Red Team sets up defenses around ODG Facility A-331.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapter 3</ref>

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapter 4</ref>

*'''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.

*'''0901 Hours:''' Dr. Halsey, Fred, Kelly, [[William-043]], [[Vinh-030]], and [[Isaac-039]] begin rummaging through CASTLE Base's abandoned interior and plan to head deeper into the base. Dr. Halsey initiates [[Operation: WHITE GLOVE]] at CASTLE Base.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapter 14</ref>

*'''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]].{{Ref/Reuse|hrpoa}}

*'''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.<ref>''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Lone Wolf]]</ref>

==September 2552==
===September 5===
*[[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> 

===September 7===
*'''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]].<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', Chapters 13-15</ref>

==Unknown==
*At an unknown point, [[Siófok]] was attacked.<ref name="FoRcomicinvasion">''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]''</ref>
*[[Manassas]], used as a civilian evacuation conduit, was eventually attacked.<ref>''Halo: Reach'', [[Halo: Reach radio conversations|Beachhead Radio Conversation]]</ref>

==Additional reading==
*[[Halo Wars Timeline Events]] - A transcription of the timeline provided in ''Halo Wars''. Several dates in the Fall of Reach are listed.
*[[Data Drop]] - A series of ''Halo Waypoint'' files and communiques primarily between [[Margaret Parangosky]] and [[Michael Stanforth]] that detail some elements of Operation: RED FLAG before and across the Fall of Reach.
*[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]] - The written thoughts of Dr. Halsey that also detail her experiences and some her actions over her life including at the Fall of Reach.

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Fall of Reach]]
[[Category:Timeline]]