Long Night of Solace (level)

This article is about the campaign level. For other uses, see Long Night of Solace (disambiguation).

Long Night of Solace is the sixth campaign level in Halo: Reach. This was the first level in the Halo series to feature playable ship-to-ship combat in space.

Upon completing the level on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary difficulties, the player will earn the achievement "You Flew Pretty Good" and 10 Gamerscore points. On Heroic difficulty or higher, If the player destroys the Covenant corvette's main engines and its escort in under three minutes, the player gets the "Wake Up, Buttercup" achievement, worth 25 Gamerscore points.

Summary

The level opens a day after the events of Tip of the Spear, with NOBLE Team making their way into a cave at Ütközet. While the UNSC appears to be helpless against the newly-emerged Covenant supercarrier Long Night of Solace, Kat-B320 comes up with a plan to destroy the ship by using a Slipspace drive as a makeshift bomb. Requiring considerable support from UNSC fleet assets in the area to safely deliver the bomb to within range of the supercarrier in addition to a military-grade slipspace drive (a very expensive piece of equipment in itself), the rest of the team is skeptical of the plan, but Colonel Holland approves it. NOBLE Team travels to a Sabre launch facility, currently under attack by the Covenant. Once they fight their way inside, Noble Six and Jorge-052 enter a Sabre that is immediately launched into the planet orbit, along with several other Sabres.

In orbit, they join the other UNSC forces in defending the refit station Anchor 9 until its defenses come back online. Meanwhile, the Slipspace drive of the frigate Savannah is removed in order to be used in the mission, codenamed Operation: UPPER CUT. After the Sabres successfully defend the station from waves of Covenant fighter craft, Jorge is dropped off at Anchor 9, just to witness the Covenant glass large areas on the planet below.

Jorge then boards a Pelican transporting the Slipspace drive, joining Six, the rest of the Sabres and the Savannah as they move to Covenant-occupied space over Reach to execute the mission. The plan is to board a Covenant SDV-class heavy corvette, place it on an automated refueling course with the supercarrier, and then activate the slipspace drive inside the corvette's hangar in close proximity of the supercarrier, effectively tearing most of the ship apart. Upon locating the Covenant corvette Ardent Prayer, the Savannah and the Sabres begin their assault on the ship.

After disabling its engines and eliminating its fighter escort, Six and the Sabre crews board Ardent Prayer, disable its communications and make their way into the hangar, allowing the Pelican carrying Jorge and the Slipspace drive into the ship. Six and the Sabre crews then make their way to the bridge of the Ardent Prayer and, after eliminating the command crew, initiate the corvette's refueling run with the Long Night of Solace. Upon returning from the bridge, Six finds Jorge engaged against Covenant forces in the hangar. The Covenant are neutralized, but Jorge soon realizes that the Pelican was damaged in the fighting, leaving it unable to escape the ship. The Slipspace drive is also damaged, and has to be activated manually. Jorge decides to stay behind and activate the drive, sacrificing his own life but saving Noble Six by throwing him/her out of the corvette and down onto Reach, just before the corvette reaches its destination and the Slipspace drive is activated. The activation generates a Slipspace rupture that engulfs Jorge, the corvette, and the central section of the supercarrier and transports them into oblivion. For a very brief period of time, it is believed that the Covenant naval attack force at Reach was entirely neutralized by Jorge's sacrifice, but a massive Covenant fleet arrives in orbit over Reach just moments later.

Transcript

{Cutscene}

Szurdok Ridge, Ütközet

August 13, 2552 20:07 Hours

Screen fades into a dust cloud as a Scarab walks by. After passing offscreen, it can be heard firing its main cannon.

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Our foe is more devious than we imagined. That spire was indeed a teleporter linked to a cloaked, Covenant supercarrier... A grave threat."

Noble Three, Five and Six arrive at a cave, Jorge carrying a large briefcase. Jun holsters his DMR as he finish securing their six. Noble One sits on the side of cave's opening while Two is standing in front of him.

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Thankfully, help is imminent. Sixty percent of the UNSC fleet is en route to Reach from existing deployments. The first battle group should arrive within forty-eight hours."

Jorge tosses the briefcase at Emile's feet. Emile, sitting on the ground, looks up.

• Warrant Officer Jun-A266: "Forty-eight hours? (removes his helmet) That's imminent?"

Jun brushes off Jorge's shoulder pauldron, which has been charred by a plasma hit.

• Jun-A266: "Uh-oh. Who's your money on this time?"

• Chief Warrant Officer Jorge-052: "Her."

Jorge takes off his helmet.

• Jun-A266: "You always pick her."

• Jorge-052: "She's always had him dialed in."

The two looks at Carter and Kat.

• Lieutenant Commander Kat-B320: "That thing's crushing us, and we're waiting for backup? They'll be backing up a graveyard."

• Commander Carter-A259: "All our nukes are either out-system or went down with the ships that carried them. You're preaching to the converted."

• Kat-B320: "How converted?"

• Carter-A259: "I know that look, Kat."

• Kat-B320: "You can say no."

• Carter-A259: "No."

• Kat-B320: "You don't even want to hear it?"

• Carter-A259: "Fine. I'll hear it."

• Kat-B320: "Remember that accident a couple years back? Colony ship en route to Cygnus. Seven hundred dead?"

• Carter-A259: "Vaguely. A slipspace drive malfunction, right?"

• Kat-B320: "Actually, it worked fine. The drive was mounted improperly after a service haul-out. When it fired, it...teleported half the ship to oblivion."

• Carter-A259: "And this is relevant...how?"

• Kat-B320: "A certain Covenant supercarrier could, with some assistance, suffer the same unfortunate accident..."

• Carter-A259: "Even for you, Kat, that's-"

• Kat-B320: "Inspired?"

• Carter-A259: "Not the word I would use."

Jorge and Emile walk up to them.

• Jorge-052: "What's going on?"

• Carter-A259: "Go ahead. Explain."

Kat reaches for Emile's kukri, but he grabs her hand to prevent her from taking it. Kat is unfazed.

• Kat-B320: "May I?"

Emile allows her to take it.

• Warrant Officer Emile-A239: "Don't cut yourself."

Kat explaining her plan to the rest of NOBLE Team.

Kat begins scratching a rough diagram into the dirt floor.

• Kat-B320: "Objective? Destroy Covenant Carrier in geosynchronous orbit above us."

• Jorge-052: "This sanctioned, sir?"

• Carter-A259: "What do you think?"

• Jorge-052: "Oh."

• Kat-B320: "Method? A slipspace drive in lieu of the nukes we don't have. Delivery system? Us. Solvable? Getting us up there. That, and getting our hands on a slip-space drive."

Kat gives Emile back his kukri.

• Kat-B320: "Thank you for sharing."

• Carter-A259: "So... All we need is orbit-capable transport, and the single most expensive piece of equipment made by man?"

• Kat-B320: "As a soldier in the field I couldn't possibly have access to those kinds of resources - that said, a good place to look might be... I don't know, the nearest nonexistent launch site in the nonexistent Sabre Program, dismissed by three administrations as preposterous rumor... And in which our newest member was certainly never a pilot."

All the Spartans look at Noble Six, who displays no visible reaction.

• Emile-A239: (to Kat) "You're scary, you know that?"

• Kat-B320: "All we need is a green light from Holland."

• Carter-A259: "Good luck with that."

Kat hands Carter a data pad.

• Kat-B320: "You're the one asking him."

Carter reluctantly takes the pad, and turns away.

• Carter-A259: "Oh, there's no way in hell he's gonna go for this..."

Fade to black.

Screen fades back to a lake.

Sabre Program Launch/Research Range, Farkas Lake, Eposz

August 14, 2552 12:48 Hours

The screen moves to show the launch facility.

A UH-144 Falcon drops off Carter, Kat, Jorge, and Noble Six at a beach, downrange from the facility. Cuts to Six's point of view as the Falcon flies away.

• Jorge-052: "Bit of a hike to the launch facility..."

• Carter-A259: "Any closer's too hot to land."

• Kat-B320: "Copy that, Commander."

• Carter-A259: "Move up the beach, Noble!"

{Gameplay}

First Floor: Aliens, Beaches, Secret Launch Stations

NOBLE Team charging up the beach.

NOBLE team moves up the beach, eventually reaching an open area where a Spirit Dropship is dropping off several Covenant troops. The launch station is now in view.

• Kat-B320: "Launch facility, dead ahead."

• Carter-A259: "Hostile transport coming in!"

Noble Team eliminates the first wave.

Several Orbital Insertion Pods hit the ground near Noble Team. After eliminating the enemy forces, Noble Team moves up the beach. As they do, a Type-31 Seraph fighter is shot down by an anti-air turret and crashes into the base.

• Jorge-052: "More hostiles in the rocks to the south."

• Carter-A259: "Root 'em out."

Noble Team engages the Covenant reinforcements.

• Carter-A259: "We'll make short work of these targets! Keep it up!"

Noble Team soon clears the area of hostiles. They approach the facility's entrance where they are greeted by Army Troopers.

• Army Trooper #1: "Everybody inside, more hostiles on the way."

• Carter-A259: "Inside, Six, let's go!"

A Pelican drops additional troopers to combat Covenant forces outside the gate.

If the player stays outside the facility, stalling:

• Army Trooper #1: "Get inside, and I'll seal this entrance."

Noble Team enters the base.

• Army Trooper #2: "Spartans coming in! Watch your fire!"

• Army Trooper #3: "Flight control's this way, they're expecting you."

Noble Team arrives at the area where the Seraph crashed earlier.

• Jorge-052: "Still can't believe Holland said yes to this..."

• Kat-B320: "Well, some plans are too good to say no."

• Carter-A259: "Let's get that Sabre airborne before he changes his mind."

They walk past the area damaged by the downed Seraph earlier.

• Army Trooper #3: "Control's right through that door, Commander."

• Army Trooper #4: "We got a Wraith on the lower platform!"

After dealing with the Wraith, Noble Team heads for the control room. An Army trooper is thrown violently into a wall from a neighboring hallway. A Sangheili Officer emerges, and is quickly dealt with.

• Base PA: "Warning: launch facility has been breached. Covenant forces have entered the base."

Noble Team reaches the control room, which is filled with dead troopers. A hologram of a Covenant SDV-class heavy corvette hovers above a holo-table. As they reach the far side of the room, a bulkhead opens to reveal the Sabre. The building shakes as a pair of Seraphs fly over it.

• Carter-A259: "Jorge, Six: get to the Sabre before the Covenant wreck it."

• Jorge-052: "What about you and Kat?"

• Carter-A259: "Jun's on his way with a Falcon, we'll exfil after you launch. Move!"

• Jorge-052: "You heard him, Six, let's go."

Six and Jorge head off to the Sabre, passing by an Army Trooper who is kicking a Sangheili Ultra's corpse. The Spartans approach the ramps leading to the Sabre's cockpit. Two Army troopers stand near the ramps, and one of them salutes to Six.

• Army Trooper #5: "Launch teams, Sabre is prepped and ready for launch."

If the player stalls:

• Jorge-052: "You first, Six. I'm just a passenger on this leg."

Noble Six heads up the ramp to the Sabre's cockpit.

{Cutscene}

Noble Six's Sabre takes off from the launch facility.

Six and Jorge climb into the cockpit, and the ramp detaches.

• Sabre Computer: "Struts disengaged. Commencing launch in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2..."

The Sabre's engines ignite, and the fighter lifts off from the facility. Sabres from other parts of the facility soon follow.

• Sabre Computer: "First stage engine burn nominal."

The Sabre leaves the upper atmosphere and enters low orbit.

• Sabre Computer: "Stage separation in 3, 2, 1... Stage separation."

The Sabre's booster rockets detach from the fighter. The Sabre immediately heads for Anchor 9 with afterburners active.

• Sabre Computer: "Second stage ignition confirmed."

While on the way to the station, several views of Reach are shown from the Sabre, one showing a hurricane. Six and Jorge soon arrive at Anchor 9.

{Gameplay}

Operation: UPPER CUT

Cannon and plasma fire flood the void as Sabres defend Anchor 9 from swarms of Covenant craft.

• Colonel Urban Holland (COM): "Noble Actual to Sabre Bravo Oh-Two-Niner, over."

• Jorge-052: "Copy, Actual. Colonel Holland?"

• Holland (COM): "Affirmative, Noble Five. Welcome to Operation: UPPER CUT. I'll be your control from here on out."

• Jorge-052: "Understood, Colonel."

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, these Sabres have been customized for orbital defense; you may need to get reacquainted. Rendezvous at Anchor 9 with the frigate Savannah and the other Sabres as soon as you're ready. Holland out."

When Easy and Normal difficulty level tutorials are completed:

• Jorge-052: "You're all warmed up, Six; we should head for the Savannah."

Six arrives at the staging point. The Savannah docks with Anchor 9.

• Jorge-052: "Multiple unidentified contacts."

• Kristòf Jen (COM): "Savannah Actual to Sabre teams, be advised: we have bogies inbound."

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to all UNSC ships: station defenses are down, requesting combat support until we can bring them back online."

• Jorge-052: "Here we go, Six. Show them what you can do."

Multiple Banshee Interceptors enter the area and are immediately engaged by the Sabres.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Defensive batteries are at 56%. Hang in there, Sabre teams."

The Sabres quickly eliminate the Banshees.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to UNSC ships: impulse drive signatures detected. Fighter-class. Heads up, Sabres!"

Multiple Seraphs soon enter the area.

• Holland (COM): "Sabre teams: use your guns to take down their shields, then hit 'em with your missiles!"

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Defensive batteries at 79%; buy us another minute, Sabre teams."

The Seraphs prove to be more of a threat but are soon destroyed as well.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to all craft in the vicinity, be advised: we show a large attack force inbound. Combat air patrol and Sabre teams are directed to engage and defend the station."

• Jorge-052: "Is there any place the Covenant isn't?"

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to all UNSC ships: station defenses are back online. Clear the lane, and we'll light 'em up."

A large number of Seraphs and Banshees enter the area. A dogfight between the Covenant and UNSC fighters ensues, while Anchor 9's point defense guns assist.

Many Banshees and Seraphs are destroyed by the combined firepower of the Sabres and Anchor 9.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to Sabre teams: Phantom signatures detected on a forward facing vector."

or

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to Sabre teams: Phantoms are inbound on vector Seven Mark Four Niner."

Soon, several heavily-armed Phantom Gunboats enter the area.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to all UNSC fighters: multiple inbound Phantoms headed straight for our defensive batteries. Sabre teams, marking high-value gunboat targets - now."

If any Phantoms get close enough to fire their torpedoes:

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Gunboats are in position, damage control teams at the ready."

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Phantom torpedoes away; brace for impact! Collision alarm."

After the last Phantom gunboat is destroyed, the remaining Banshees and Seraphs flee.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Anchor 9 to UNSC ships: all targets neutralized. Bravo Oh-Two-Niner, you are cleared to dock. Activating marker."

• Holland (COM): "Holland to Bravo Oh-Two-Niner. Noble Five, you ready to go?"

• Jorge-052: "Affirmative, Colonel."

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, head for the marker. Initiate docking procedure."

Noble Six pilots the Sabre to the marked hangar.

{Cutscene}

Noble Six's Sabre docks just outside the hangar.

• Jorge-052: "I'm out here, Six."

• Sabre Computer: "Warning: M-Spec Reentry Pack disengaged."

• Jorge-052: "I need your override."

• Sabre Computer: "Warning: M-Spec Reentry- (cockpit opens) Cockpit depressurization complete. Canopy release lever: armed."

Jorge and two marines prepping the slipspace drive.

Jorge exits the Sabre in zero-gravity and glides to an awaiting Pelican.

• Jorge-052: (Hungarian) "Megszakad a szivem..." (My heart breaks...)

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Noble Five? Please repeat."

• Jorge-052: "Pull up surface grid, 19 by 22."

An orbital view of Reach is shown from a camera.

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Gladly. ONI Sword Base: Sector 18G."

Explosions from plasma bombardment occur on the surface.

• Jorge-052: "Thermal enhance."

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Noble Five, your pulse is elevated. There is nothing you can do for Doctor Halsey and the others inside SWORD Base. The mathematics are determinate... Noble Five?"

The view now changes back to Noble Six, who looks over at Jorge.

• Jorge-052: "I know."

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Bravo Oh-Two-Niner, you're cleared to re-engage thrusters."

Noble Six presses a button in the cockpit and his Sabre leaves the hangar.

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, this is Holland."

• SPARTAN-B312 (COM): "Go ahead, Colonel."

• Holland (COM): "We've flagged a Corvette-class vessel on a predicted docking track with our target."

Jorge is readying the slipspace drive with two other Marines in EVA armor.

• Holland (COM): "Get our makeshift bomb on that Corvette, and we have our delivery system. Noble Five will escort the bomb. I need your Sabre team to clear the way for boarding."

• Noble Six (COM): "Understood, Colonel."

• Holland (COM): "As she's already donated her slipspace drive to the cause, the Savannah will be joining you to provide local fire support."

• Jen (COM): "UNSC Savannah. Our wings may be clipped, but we've got your back."

The Savannah and the Sabres depart from Anchor 9.

• Holland (COM): "I've stuck my neck out for Noble on this one, Lieutenant."

• SPARTAN-B312: "We'll get it done, Colonel. Six out."

Fade to black.

The screen fades back to the point of view of a UNSC satellite near the Covenant corvette.

NAV Beacon RA-15 observing the Ardent Prayer.

Covenant-occupied space, Reach orbit

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Target Corvette sighted within visual range of NAV Beacon RA-15."

The satellite's camera zooms in on the Savannah and the Sabres, approaching the Corvette.

• SPARTAN-B312: "We have visual. Target confirmed."

{Gameplay}

• Jen (COM): "Frigate Savannah in position. Sabre teams: sound off."

• Echo 1 (COM): "Echo 1, all systems nominal."

• Echo 2 (COM): "Echo 2, good to go."

• Echo 3 (COM): "Echo 3, systems green."

• Echo 4 (COM): "Echo 4, all systems online!"

• Jen (COM): "Solid copy. We are currently jamming the Corvette's comms. Hit it hard while it can't call for help!"

• Holland (COM): "Agreed. Sabre teams, clear a path to that Corvette."

• Jen (COM): "Might wanna clip her engines, Colonel. See if we can slow her down."

• Holland (COM): "Good thinking, Savannah. That'll make boarding her a whole lot easier. Noble Six, I'm marking targets: take out the Corvette's main engines."

Noble Six targets the main engines and disables all four of them. The other Sabres engage the Covenant escort fighters, while the Savannah circles the Corvette and harasses it and the Covenant fighter escort with gunfire. Any Seraphs that get close to the frigate are soon shredded by her defense guns.

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Warning: energy pulses detected in the Corvette's aft launch bays."

• Jen (COM): "Heads up, Sabres: multiple impulse drive signatures detected, more bogies incoming."

• Echo 2 (COM): "Echo 2 to Savannah Actual. Where are the reinforcements coming from? I thought the target was jammed."

• Jen (COM): "Must be squadrons coming back from patrol, Echo 2."

• Holland (COM): "Don't let any of them get away, Sabres! Kill them before they bug out and warn that supercarrier what we're up to."

The Savannah trading broadsides with the Ardent Prayer.

The Corvette deploys a wave of Banshees to reinforce the Seraph escort, but the Sabres and the Savannah destroy the reinforcements as well. All the Corvette's escort fighters are soon destroyed.

• Holland (COM): "Dot, analyze all available data on that Corvette. Find a way inside."

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Scans indicate a structural weakness surrounding a platform on top of the vessel."

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, set down immediately on that Corvette's topside landing pad."

Noble Six approaches the landing pad.

{Cutscene}

Noble Six arrives at the landing pad, along with three other Sabres. Noble Six gets out of the Sabre along with several UNSC Air Force pilots in vacuum sealed suits from the other Sabres.

{Gameplay}

And the Horse You Flew In On

The Savannah is seen engaging the Corvette, which returns fire. Seraphs and Sabres continue to chase each other around the two starships.

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, the Savannah's countermeasures won't work forever. Find a way inside, and permanently disable the cruiser's communications."

Two Sangheili Rangers emerge from under the shield, and are quickly eliminated by Six and the pilots.

• Holland (COM): "As soon as we're sure the Corvette can't squawk, we'll initiate UPPERCUT - Phase Two."

Noble Six and the pilots pass through the shield and enter the communication center of the Corvette, to find that the room's artificial gravity and life support are offline (most likely due to damage from the battle), and that any Covenant without vacuum-sealed armor have died, leaving only Unggoy Ultras and more Sangheili Rangers. Noble Six and the strike team quickly dispatch them.

• Holland (COM): "Holland to Savannah, enemy comm relay is now offline."

• Jen (COM): "Copy that. Halting countermeasures, diverting all power and personnel to weapons."

• Holland (COM): "Alright, Noble. Let's get that slipspace bomb on board. Six, head for the hangar."

A door opens, with two Unggoy and a Sangheili Ranger behind it. The Unggoy are startled and easily eliminated. The Ranger is killed shortly after.

• Air Force Pilot #1 (COM): "Colonel, on our way to the hangar."

• Holland (COM): "Noble Five, meet 'em there."

• Jorge-052 (COM): "Affirmative, on approach."

Six and the troopers engage a large number of enemy troops in the hangar, including an Engineer which provides the Covenant with overshields. They are eventually neutralized; air and gravity subsequently return to the interior of the corvette.

• Jorge-052 (COM): "Six, go for those shield controls. I need in."

Six deactivates the shield guarding the hangar bay.

{Cutscene}

Jorge's Pelican enters the hangar. In the background, the UNSC Savannah can be seen engaging the Corvette. Jorge and several more Air Force pilots emerge from the Pelican.

• Jorge-052: "Powder keg is aboard, Colonel."

• Holland (COM): "Copy that. Six, get your fireteam to the bridge; the Corvette's refueling run with the supercarrier will have to be initiated manually."

• SPARTAN-B312: "Yes, sir."

• Holland (COM): "Five, stay with the bomb...and discourage the curious."

• Jorge-052: "My pleasure. Hear that, Lieutenant? I'll be all by my lonesome back here. Make it quick, would ya?"

Six turns and joins the Air Force pilots who are securing the area.

{Gameplay}

• Holland (COM): "Noble Six, get that Corvette moving toward the supercarrier. Head for the bridge. Find the NAV controls."

Noble Six heads for a door, finding ordnance and ammunition provided by the pilots.

• Air Force pilot #2: "Got plenty of arms and ammo if you need 'em, Spartan."

The door opens, and Six and the troopers find another surprised pair of Unggoy, and several Sangheili which are quickly neutralized.

Noble Six heads down the corridor.

• Jen (COM): "Savannah to Holland: sustaining major structural damage! We need to break off, Colonel!"

• Holland (COM): "Copy, Savannah. Our team is in, disengage!"

The Savannah explodes, being torn into multiple sections.

Noble Six arrives at the plasma battery, finding a lone Sangheili gunner (or multiple gunners if playing Co-op). Outside the viewport, multiple plasma torpedoes can be seen impacting the fleeing frigate. Explosions blossom along the Savannah's hull.

• Jen (COM): "Break off! Break off! Hull breach, reactors flaring! Dammit, I'm losing her!"

The damaged frigate begins to break up. A massive explosion rips off the engines and tears the main hull in half. The wreckage drifts past the gun battery viewport and out of sight.

• Holland (COM): "Savannah Actual, can you hear me?"

• Jorge-052 (COM): "Frigate's gone, Six... Nothing we can do."

• Holland (COM): "Noble, you're in deep with no cover. Get that Corvette moving and get the hell outta there!"

Noble Six and the Marines head for another door, leading to a winding corridor.

• Air Force pilot #3: "Looks like the bridge, Spartan. Let's clear it out."

Noble Six and the troopers enter the bridge. The bridge crew are managing the controls, unaware of the human presence. The supercarrier Long Night of Solace can be seen outside the window. Noble Six and the Air Force pilots eliminate the bridge crew, including Shipmaster Ardo 'Moretumee, to gain control of the bridge.

• Holland (COM): "Move, Lieutenant! Put that Corvette on a refueling track to the supercarrier."

Noble Six finds the navigation controls and sets a course for the supercarrier.

• Holland (COM): "Well done, Noble Six. UPPERCUT initiated. Corvette is underway."

A small Covenant lance return to the bridge and attempt to kill the boarders, but is quickly eliminated.

• Jorge-052 (COM): "Six, our ride outta here is taking heavy fire! Get back to the hangar!"

Noble Six arrives back at the battery, and is engaged by more Covenant.

• Jorge-052 (COM): "At your earliest convenience, Noble Six."

Noble Six makes it back to the hangar, and finds Jorge and the Slipspace bomb under heavy attack. Six helps take care of the majority of the attacking troops.

• Jorge-052: "Good of you to come, hostiles were pounding the hell outta the Pelican."

Six and Jorge defend the hangar from multiple waves of Covenant troops, eventually eliminating all of them.

• Jorge-052: "And stay down."

• Jorge-052: "Savannah did a number on the door. There's no way back up to the Sabres. Noble Six, form up on me."

{Cutscene}

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Distance is closing on this vessel's refueling track with the Covenant supercarrier. Seventy-six seconds to endpoint."

Jorge attempts to arm the Slipspace drive's detonation timer, which fails to respond.

• Jorge-052: "Damn it... So, it's gonna be like that."

Jorge glances at Noble Six, and hits the timer in frustration. He turns and faces Six.

• Jorge-052: "Well, I got good news and bad news. This bird took some fire and her thruster gimbal is toast. Which means the only way off this slag heap is gravity."

• SPARTAN-B312: "And the good news?"

• Jorge-052: "That was the good news."

• Auntie Dot (COM): "At current velocity, fifty-three seconds to endpoint."

• Jorge-052: "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

Jorge removes his helmet and drops it to the floor.

• Jorge-052: "Bad news is, timer's fried. I'm gonna have to fire it manually."

• SPARTAN-B312: "That's a one-way trip."

• Jorge-052: "We all make it sooner or later. Better get going, Six, they're gonna need you down there. Listen, Reach has been good to me..."

Jorge removes his dog tags and gives them to Noble Six, grasping his/her hand in farewell.

• Jorge-052: "...time's come to return the favor. Don't deny me this."

With Jorge's sacrifice, the Long Night of Solace is destroyed.

Before Six can protest, Jorge tightens his grip, lifts the Spartan up with one hand and carries him/her to the shield door. The screen switches to Six's point of view.

• Jorge-052: "Tell 'em to make it count."

Jorge tosses Six out of the hangar into space. Six begins to fall back to Reach.

After Noble Six has fallen some distance, a purple spark appears on the mid-section of the Corvette; Jorge has activated the re-purposed slipspace drive directly under the supercarrier.

The view changes back to the camera of NAV Beacon RA-15, which shows a massive slipspace rift opening near the supercarrier's midsection. The corvette - and Jorge within it - disappears instantaneously, and the supercarrier is bisected as its entire midsection disappears into the slipspace rift. A shockwave of ionizing radiation passes over the beacon, causing electronic interference with the camera. The feed cuts out.

SIGNAL LOST

Another Covenant fleet arrives above Reach.

A sudden rupturing noise is heard.

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

Dot switches to a new NAV Beacon, which shows multiple Covenant capital ships dropping out of slipspace.

• ATC 1 (COM): "Gamma Station Control, reading multiple pings below the Orbital Defense Grid!"

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

• Sergeant (COM): "Yeah, we're picking up anomalies too-"

• Anchor 9 (COM): Are you reading this?"

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

More and more Covenant ships drop out of slipspace. Radio frequencies are flooded with panicked transmissions.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Multiple Covenant signatures!"

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

Loss of signal.

• Anchor 9 (COM): "Does anyone have a visual?"

• Air Control (COM): "They're everywhere!"

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

SIGNAL LOST

• ATC 2 (COM): "Oh, this can't be happening!"

• Holland (COM): "Must be the whole damn Covenant fleet!"

• Auntie Dot (COM): "Slipspace rupture detected."

The screen abruptly cuts to black as screams are broadcast over the COM.

Level ends.

Trivia

Easter eggs

• The turret of the Pelican that has the slipspace bomb attached to it is usable. See Usable Pelican turret.
• It is possible to explore the outside of the Ardent Prayer when you land on the ship's landing pad.

References

• The opening chapter "First floor: Aliens, Beaches, Secret Launch facilities" is a reference to the closing chapter of The Library in Halo: Combat Evolved, "Fourth Floor: Tools, Guns, Keys to Super Weapons".
• The chapter "And the Horse You Flew In On..." is a reference to the first chapter in The Maw, "And the Horse You Rode In On..."
• During "Operation: UPPER CUT", a Sabre pilot may be heard saying "In space, no one can hear you scream", a famous promotional tagline for the 1979 sci-fi horror film, Alien.
• ATC 1's exclamation, "They're everywhere!" is a reference to an iconic line of the Marathon trilogy's BoBs.
• There are seven space structures: six UNSC construction platforms, and one refit station, Anchor 9.
• This level has a total of seven cutscenes, of which only four can be skipped. This is the highest number of cutscenes in a single level in any Halo game.
• The stage separation during the launch of YSS-1000 Sabre was exactly done in seven seconds.
  • Additionally, there are total of seven Thruster part to detach/separate before camera-mounting thruster is the last part to detach from Sabre.

Miscellaneous

• A section of the level, the Sabre launch pad, is the setting of the multiplayer map Countdown. The maps Zealot, and Corvette are also derived from this level. The map Anchor 9 is based on this level, though it is not included in any part of the mission.
• This level was the first campaign level of Halo: Reach to be unveiled to the public. A shorter version of the level was first showcased in the Halo: Reach E3 Campaign Demo during the Microsoft press conference at E3 2010. Some minor parts of the level have changed, such as the player's initial weapons, Carter's line that was moved to Winter Contingency in the final game ("We've been engaged!"), and the Type-32 Ghost dropped on the beach by the Spirit dropship.
• Spirit dropships will continuously drop troops outside the base, while Pelicans will continuously drop Army troopers to fight them. The Pelican will drop off a squad of eight troopers armed with assault rifles, DMRs, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and shotguns. Typically, five of the troopers will move down to cover the beach, while the other three will move to defend the docks where the Wraith was deployed.
• This is the first and only level in the series where the player directly engages Seraphs, Space Banshees, and a Covenant starship, a Corvette.
• This level is also the only campaign level in which the player can receive the Unfrigginbelievable medal due to the unlimited amount of enemies being deployed in front of the Sabre launch facility.
• The Seraphs seen flying over the Launch Facility can be locked on with the Rocket Launcher.
• While flying the Sabre, players can knock into Phantoms, Seraphs, and Banshees. While this may destroy the smaller craft and leave the player's Sabre intact (and award the player a Splatter Medal), it will only send the Phantoms tumbling away through space.
  • Interestingly, colliding with or ramming an Orbital insertion pod will destroy a fully-shielded Sabre and kill the player. The death will register as "Collision Damage" and the player will receive a "Collision Damage" kill, but will not receive a Splatter Medal.
• On the underside of Ardent Prayer, a large number of Space Banshees are docked which can be destroyed by the player, potentially earning large multi-kills. Once attacked, any surviving Banshees will launch and engage the player; if not attacked they will launch anyway when the player destroys the Corvette's engines. The number of Banshees varies depending on the difficulty level.
• There is a cancelled McFarlane Boxed 3-Pack in the Halo: Reach Series 6 based on the ending section of the level. The set originally consisted of a replica of Jorge-052, without his helmet, equipped with a Machine Gun Turret replica, a replica of a BOB, and a replica of SPARTAN-B312, wearing the M-Spec reentry pack, with an M6G Magnum.

Mistakes

• It is possible to hijack a Seraph without the use of mods during the beach sequence via a glitch.
• The hologram of the corvette in flight control reacts as if it were a solid object. That is, bullets will impact it instead of going straight through.
• When Noble Six enters the corvette, there are several dead Unggoy Minors supposedly killed by the lack of atmospheric pressure. Yet, Unggoy Ultras throughout the ship will survive even if their face masks are shot off, and they are exposed to zero atmosphere.
• When Jorge was about to jump into the Pelican fitted with slipspace drive, the canopy was opened but when Jorge made his jump, the canopy is already closed.

Gallery

• 

  Panorama of Reach in the Anchor 9 defense section.

• 

  Panorama of Reach in the Ardent Prayer battle.

• 

  Early concept art of the launch facility.

• 

  Finalized concept art of the launch facility.

• 

  Concept art of the launch control terminals inside the facility.

• 

  Concept art of the level's space battle.

• 

  Concept art of the Ardent Prayer's hangar bay.

• 

  Concept art of the Long Night of Solace's destruction.

• 

  A Spirit dropping Covenant reinforcements as a Ghost passes SPARTAN-B312.

• 

  A Sabre and the UNSC Savannah attack a Covenant corvette.

Sources

Preceded by Tip of The Spear

Halo: Reach Campaign Missions Long Night of Solace

Succeeded by Exodus