Halo Reach vs. Halo the fall of reach

Community Halo Universe
1

So I just got done reading the fall of reach for the 3rd or 4th time now. Amazing book but I just want to clarify one thing. . . . The book and the game don’t match up at the end correct.

At the end of the game The Pillar of Autumn docks on Reach and get’s the other fragment of Cortana and then takes off and enters slipspace shortly after.

In the end of the book Master Chief gets back onboard the Pillar of Autumn from destroying the nav database still intact on the ship Circumference and wanted to go planetside to retrieve his team but Keyes said that that was not possible. They still had a mission to accomplish.

Is this correct or am I missing something here?

2

The game changes the end of the book, after picking up Chief, Johnson and his marines, and the dying Linda, Keyes took the Autumn down to Aszod (which is not in the same region as CASTLE Base and Generator Complex where Red Team was by the way) to extract Noble Team’s surviving members and the fragment of Cortana. Then after retrieving the fragment and having to leave Noble behind is when they left the system and went to Alpha Halo. So the end of TFoR has been retconned, as well as the length of the battle, but none of the key events have been changed.

3

Very few actual statements from The Fall of Reach have been retconned. Instead, things we previously assumed have been stated otherwise. As best I can tell, they went to great lengths to try to make it fit. It’s still like pounding a square peg into a round hole, though.

Anyway, look at the ship’s engines in the level. They’re smoking as if it had just landed. Also, check out the book again. It says that Cortana’s lock on Halo’s location was only 86% good. We can imply that the fragment filled in the rest.

4

> So the end of TFoR has been retconned, as well as the length of the battle, but none of the key events have been changed.

I don’t believe there were any Retcons at all as there is more evidence to suggest that the Autumn landed on Reach before she engaged the Covenant Fleet. At 0400 hours she is in orbit of Reach and as they begin preparations to leave, they receive word Reach is under attack. However Fermion station doesn’t even detect the incoming Fleet until 0447 hours, which means the Autumn receives word Reach is under attack before the Fleet even enters the system. The book also says that the Chief doesn’t feel the ship accelerate until 0519 hours which means the ship was unaccounted for for at least 1 hour and 19 minutes. What was she doing this whole time? I say she was on Reach like the game suggests. This could mean the acceleration wasn’t the ship turning around like he assumed, but was them actually being lifted off the Planet as witnessed at the end of the level.

5

You’re a little too early, I think. The book’s account of the Pillar of Autumn on August 30 takes place before 07:00 hours. If I recall, “The Pillar of Autumn” level in Reach takes place after 18:00 hours.

6

> You’re a little too early, I think. The book’s account of the Pillar of Autumn on August 30 takes place before 07:00 hours. If I recall, “The Pillar of Autumn” level in Reach takes place after 18:00 hours.

The book uses Earth’s 24 hour clock and the game uses Reach’s 27 hour clock. This is why there is a time discrepancy.

7

So you’re saying the 18:00 hours in the game is roughly equivalent to the 07:00 hours in the book?

8

> So you’re saying the 18:00 hours in the game is roughly equivalent to the 07:00 hours in the book?

Based on my theory this is how I see the events of August 30th, 2552.

Blue = The Fall of Reach/First Strike Time Stamp
Red = Halo Reach Time Stamp (approximate)
Orange = Elapsed Time

0400 hours (1603 hours)

The Pillar of Autumn begins preparations to leave the system when she receives word Reach is under attack. Captain Keyes was already aware of this but his crew, as well as the Spartans, were not. At the request of Dr. Halsey the Autumn lands on Reach to receive a package which will be Key to their missions success.

47 minutes

0447 hours (1650 hours)

Fermion Station at the edge of the Epsilon Eridanis system detects a larger incoming Covenant Fleet and enacts the Cole Protocol.

2 minutes

0449 hours (1652 hours)

Noble Team in possession of the Cortana fragment ditches their Pelican and proceeds to the Pillar of Autumn on foot. Noble One, (Carter A259), is Killed in Action destroying a Covenant Scarab. Noble Four, (Emile A239) and Noble Six, (Spartan B312), proceed to the Pillar of Autumn and deliver the Cortana Fragment to Captain Keyes. Emile is killed by an Elite and Noble Six protects the Pillar of Autumn by disabling a Covenant Cruiser.

30 minutes

0519 hours (1702 hours)

The Pillar of Autumn escapes Reach and proceeds towards the edge of the System. Captain Keyes informs John 117 of the Covenant’s attack of the Planet and the Spartan convinces the Captain to allow his Spartans to assist.

15 minutes

0534 hours (1717 hours)

The Pillar of Autumn engages the Covenant as they begin pouring out of Slipspace.

24 minutes

0558 hours (1741 hours)

The Pillar of Autumn receives word from Station Gamma that the UNSC Circumference has failed to purge its navigation data and Spartans are required to purge this data to keep it out of Covenant hands as per the Cole Protocol. John 117 splits his Spartans into Blue and Red Teams. Red Team under Frederic 104 will proceed to Reach to defend the SMAC power generators and Blue Team under John 117 himself will proceed to Gamma Station to purge the Circumference’s navigation data.

18 minutes

0616 hours (1759 hours)

John 117, Linda 058 and James 005 reach Gamma Station and engage Covenant forces. James 005 is KIA when his thruster pack ruptures and he tumbles into space.

Pillar of Autumn continues to engage Covenant Fleet.

21 minutes

0631 hours (1815 hours)

Red Team is forced to ditch their Pelican after encountering heavy resistance and crash into the trees. After regrouping they encounter some scattered Marines.

6 minutes

0637 hours (1820 hours)

John 117 and Linda 058 encounter a squad of Marines led by Sergeant Avery Johnson. John secures a Pelican and the Marines however Linda is hit multiple times with plasma fire. The group escapes to the Pillar of Autumn and Linda is placed in Cryo.

10 minutes

0647 hours (1830 hours)

While calculating a random slipspace trajectory away from Reach, Cortana factors in the data obtained from the Sigma Octanus Crystal and determines them to be coordinates to a location of unknown importance. The Pillar of Autumn then escapes the system and heads towards Halo.

2 minutes

0649 hours (1832 hours)

Red Team regroups and sets up defenses around ODG Facility A-331.

22 minutes

0711 hours (1854 hours)

Fred, Kelly and Joshua use stolen Banshees to deliver a Fury tactical nuclear weapon to a Covenant Cruiser via its gravity lift. The Cruiser is destroyed and Joshua is KIA.

33 minutes

0744 hours (1927 hours)

Red Team evacuates to CASTLE Base and encounter Dr. Elizabeth Halsey.

26 minutes

0810 hours (1953 hours)

Dr. Halsey treats the wounded Spartans.

7 minutes

0817 hours (2000 hours)

Noble Six continues to engage Covenant forces but is eventually overwhelmed and killed in action.

44 minutes

0901 hours (2044 hours)

Red Team resupplies and proceeds deeper into the caves below CASTLE Base as Covenant forces begin moving in on their position.

9

> The book uses Earth’s 24 hour clock and the game uses Reach’s 27 hour clock. This is why there is a time discrepancy.

Don’t forget the very real possibility of time-zones.