Reach: Difference between revisions

====Fall of Reach====

[[File:Glassed Reach.png|thumb|left|250px|Reach after its glassing.{{Ref/Level|H2A|[[The Heretic]]}}]]

Reach fell to the Covenant during the Human-Covenant War in [[2552]]. An [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence|advance strike force]] first arrived at the planet in late [[2552#July|July]], [[Battle of Visegrád|taking out]] [[Visegrád Relay|a major communications outpost]] and attacking several UNSC facilities over a span of several weeks. This force was effectively destroyed when the fleet's [[flagship]], the {{Pattern|Sh'wada|supercarrier}} ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' was destroyed during [[Operation: UPPER CUT]]. However, a significantly larger Covenant fleet sent by the [[Ministry of Resolution]] arrived on [[2552#August|August 14]] and began to lay siege to several cities on the planet shortly after the ''Long Night of Solace'' was destroyed. The final battle for the planet was fought when a massive combined Covenant invasion fleet over 300 ships strong led by the [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee and the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] arrived in the morning of August 30.{{Ref/Reuse|vis}} Additionally, the other human colonies in the Epsilon Eridani system were attacked by the Covenant, [[Battle of Tribute|including]] [[Tribute]].<ref>''Halo 3: ODST'', "Dutch" Firefight Character Profile</ref>

===Postwar===

{{Main|Eposz Reclamation Project}}

[[File:Spade NewFrontiers Art.jpg|thumb|250px|A pioneer alongside two [[Spade]]s on Reach after its glassing.{{Ref/Site|Id=BaconTweet|URL=https://twitter.com/_darrenbacon/status/1437522810906103810|Site=Twitter|Page=Darren Bacon - It was a piece done for the franchise team depicting a glassed section of Reach...|D=13|M=09|Y=2021}}]]

In [[2553#November|November 2553]], a pioneer group arrived on Reach for an initial search and preparation for the planet's reterraforming.{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2994218_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2994218|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Catalog Interaction (Page 43)}} Due to its symbolic and strategic value, Reach was quickly selected for rehabilitation and full-scale recolonization by the [[Unified Earth Government]],{{Ref/Reuse|wf}} classified as a priority redevelopment area.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm94}} This was against the wishes of some who wanted to prioritize the reconstruction of Sol.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

By [[2589]], Reach was in a habitable state, and new human colonists were re-settling the planet.{{Ref/Level|Id=hrlonewolf|HR|Level=Lone Wolf}} The planet was still evidently littered with destroyed ship and debris from both the Covenant and UNSC, thirty-seven years after the fall of the planet. By [[2610]], at least two cities on the planet, [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]] and [[Esztergom]], were reconstructed.{{Ref/Generic|[[Halo: Reach Legendary Edition]]|Detail=[[:File:Journal Package Letter.jpg|Journal Package Letter]]}}

{{Clear}}

Reach was the most important headquarters for the [[United Nations Space Command]] outside of Earth and the main supplier of military and civilian spacecraft, and the location of the UNSC's largest and most active shipyard. [[UNSC High Command|High Command]], [[FLEETCOM|Fleet Command]] and the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] maintained headquarters on Reach, as well as many primary [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Naval Intelligence]] bases, which included the highly classified [[CASTLE Base]]. It was also where the UNSC's most elite troops, including the [[ODST]]s as well as the SPARTAN-IIs, were trained. Reach's purpose was not solely military, however, the surface of the planet also featured farmland and civilian towns and districts.<ref>''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]'', p. 52</ref> The largest cities on Reach were [[Manassas]], [[Quezon]], [[Esztergom]] and [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]].{{Ref/Reuse|vis}}

The license plates for some land vehicles, such as the [[Spade]], had Reach as an identifier on them.{{Ref/Game|HR|Detail=[[Spade]] model}}

===Defenses===

[[File:EEfleet.png|thumb|250px|UNSC ships stationed above Reach prior to its destruction.]]

While Earth was rightly seen as the UNSC's commercial, political, and cultural center, Reach was undeniably the hub of its military power. The [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet]] was a full strength [[battle group|carrier group]] with the {{Class|Punic|supercarrier}} {{UNSCShip|Trafalgar}} at its core.{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}

An [[Reach super-AI network|ONI super-AI network]] used for high-level number crunching was also located on Reach.<ref>''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe'', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", p. 475-476, 484</ref> [[REACH DOC NET]] was a computer network on or around Reach.{{Ref/Novel|TFoR|Page=302}} Reach also had a [[slipspace COM launcher]].{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=176}}

*Total available military manpower: 385,421,100{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}

*Total land assets: 58,430{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}

*Defense budget: [[cR]]. 38,287,000,000 [as of 2548]{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}

===Economy===

Reach had nine [[space elevator]]s,{{Ref/Reuse|vis}} [[Delphi Triple-Strand Network|three of which were]] located near the city of New Alexandria,{{Ref/Level|HR|Level=New Alexandria}} one located in the city of Manassas,{{Ref/Comic|Id=for|[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]|[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]}} and another located in [[Veszprém]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

Before the Covenant invasion, Epsilon Eridani's superior [[interstellar jump point]] had been the most active [[Slipstream space]] transfer zone (arrivals and departures) for over thirty years, with the system's inferior IJP and Sol's superior IJP regularly trading second and third place spots.{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}