Fall of Reach: Difference between revisions

|side1=

*{{Icon|UNSC HCW}} [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]

*[[Reach militia]]

|side2=

**3+ {{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}}s{{Ref/Game|Id=SC|Halo: Fleet Battles|Detail=Scenario Two to Eight campaigns}}

**11+ {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s{{Ref/Reuse|SC}}

*[[Ministry of Resolution]]'s fleet

**A large number of ships

===Pre-invasion===

By July 23, the Fleet of Valiant Prudence consisting of {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}}s, {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s, {{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}}s and a {{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}}, ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', arrived at Reach following the Luminary retrieved at Beta Eridani. The Luminary marked the presence of the Forerunner [[Rate]] of [[Builder]]s across the system.{{Ref/Reuse|contact}} 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, of the [[Devoted Sentries]], led by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal|Field Marshal]] to recover a Forerunner artifact from an excavation site near the [[Visegrád Relay|Visegrád communications outpost]].

The strike force disabled the communications array at [[Visegrád]], cutting off communications from the northern parts of [[Alföld]] to the larger communications hubs further south, leaving a large portion of Reach isolated from the rest of the UNSC.<ref name="OverlookRadio">''[[Halo: Reach]]'', [[Halo: Reach radio conversations|Radio conversations]] - [[Overlook]]</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 name="drop2">''[[Data Drop]]'' [[Data Drop/Two|Drop #2]]</ref> was responsible for the loss of contact with the facility.{{Ref/Reuse|actual}}

===Winter Contingency===

{{Main|Battle of Visegrád}}

The day after the [[Visegrád Relay]] was disabled, [[Spartan]] [[NOBLE Team]] was sent to investigate the disturbance in lieu of the missing Army fireteams.{{Ref/Reuse|actual}} The group had been conducting anti-insurrection operations in the region, and were thus on-hand to assist.{{Ref/Reuse|patrol}}<ref name="entry19021024">''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', [[Halo: The Fall of Reach#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]] - Entry 19-021/024</ref> 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/Reuse|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 (protocol)|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>

===Opening skirmishes===

{{Quote|WINTER CONTINGENCY has been declared, all units mobilized and ready.|UNSC officer}}

{{Main|Battle of Sword Base}}