In the trial at the beginning of Halo 2, Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee states that “by the time I learned the Demon’s intent, there was nothing I could do!”. While replaying Halo Combat Evolved and simultaneously rereading Halo the Flood (Copyright 2003 version) I’m trying to figure out the point at which the Covenant and primarily Thel Vadamee figures out that he’s going to blow up the Autumn in order to destroy Halo. The fact that “an entire Covenant armada” was destroyed during the detonation of the ring suggests to me that it must have been extremely close to the time of detonation, otherwise failing to stop the Chief I would have thought he’d at least pull back his ships.
What do you guys think?
It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.
Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> 2533274838418174;2:
> It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
>
> So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
>
> There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
>
> He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.
>
> Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
That seems like a fair assessment for the most part. An Elite named 'Ontomee was the leader of the command staff in charge of the Covenant forces onboard the Pillar of Autumn and only makes mention of the Chief because he’s wearing “special armor” and single handedly wipes out Covenant Security Team Three who were placed in charge of defending the mess hall and bridge of the crashed Autumn. 'Ontomee also hints at the lone human appearing to have a mission but at the time they did not know what that mission was.
'Ontomee probably submits a report on the lone human to his higher ups outside of the Autumn who may or may not pass it along to Thel who was dealing with a lot as you said. Based on this and what Thel says in the beginning of Halo 2, Thel might have pieced it together as soon as he got another report from 'Ontomee’s team as soon as the Autumn started to destabilize which at that point would be beyond his control, supporting his statement to the Prophets.
> 2533274838418174;2:
> It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
>
> So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
>
> There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
>
> **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> 2533274925429939;4:
> > 2533274838418174;2:
> > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> >
> > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> >
> > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> >
> > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
>
> The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> 2533274819939761;6:
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> > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > >
> > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > >
> > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > >
> > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> >
> > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
>
> Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
As far as we know, yes.
> 2533274925429939;7:
> > 2533274819939761;6:
> > > 2533274925429939;4:
> > > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > >
> > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > >
> > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > >
> > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > >
> > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> >
> > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
>
> As far as we know, yes.
So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
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> > 2533274925429939;7:
> > > 2533274819939761;6:
> > > > 2533274925429939;4:
> > > > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > >
> > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > >
> > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > >
> > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > >
> > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > >
> > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> >
> > As far as we know, yes.
>
> So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
Indeed.
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> > > > 2533274819939761;6:
> > > > > 2533274925429939;4:
> > > > > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > > >
> > > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > > >
> > > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> > >
> > > As far as we know, yes.
> >
> > So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
>
> Indeed.
Ahh man. Oh well, I figure not everything from Nylund can stay.
Like shoving 75 kids into the back of a Pelican. XD
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> > > > > 2533274819939761;6:
> > > > > > 2533274925429939;4:
> > > > > > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > > > >
> > > > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> > > >
> > > > As far as we know, yes.
> > >
> > > So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
> >
> > Indeed.
>
> Ahh man. Oh well, I figure not everything from Nylund can stay.
> Like shoving 75 kids into the back of a Pelican. XD
Or a good portion of the Fall of Reach novel. The game and novel have been retconned to coincide with each other now, however in the novel it portrayed Reach falling in a single day, which we know is most definitely not true based off of the game, more like a month (which I much prefer).
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> > > > > > > > 2533274838418174;2:
> > > > > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> > > > >
> > > > > As far as we know, yes.
> > > >
> > > > So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
> > >
> > > Indeed.
> >
> > Ahh man. Oh well, I figure not everything from Nylund can stay.
> > Like shoving 75 kids into the back of a Pelican. XD
>
> Or a good portion of the Fall of Reach novel. The game and novel have been retconned to coincide with each other now, however in the novel it portrayed Reach falling in a single day, which we know is most definitely not true based off of the game, more like a month (which I much prefer).
Pretty much yeah
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> > > > > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> > > > >
> > > > > As far as we know, yes.
> > > >
> > > > So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
> > >
> > > Indeed.
> >
> > Ahh man. Oh well, I figure not everything from Nylund can stay.
> > Like shoving 75 kids into the back of a Pelican. XD
>
> Or a good portion of the Fall of Reach novel. The game and novel have been retconned to coincide with each other now, however in the novel it portrayed Reach falling in a single day, which we know is most definitely not true based off of the game, more like a month (which I much prefer).
Just curious, why do you prefer the idea of Reach taking a month to fall over one day?
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> > > > > > > > > It was probably not until it was reported the Chief was on the Pillar of Autumn itself. Given that Thel himself was dealing with multiple Flood containment breaches assaulting his forces across the Ring and beyond (the Flood managed to repair a Covenant dropship and board the support cruiser Infinite Succor, to which Rtas Vadum/Half-Jaw/Shipmaster was tasked with cleansing). He was also having to deal with a power struggle between him and the Prophet of Stewardship, who kept undermining Thel’s operations on the Ring.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > So with everything that could go wrong going wrong, chances are high that given the chaos of the situation, reports of where exactly the Master Chief and UNSC forces were on the RIng became unreliable and sporadic. Keep in mind that the last time that there were confirmed reports of The Chief’s location was Alpha Halo’s Control Room, or possibly en-route to the Containment Facility where the Flood were being kept (at which point Thel had larger concerns as his forces had accidentally released the Flood). After that and Chief’s subsequent multiple teleportation trips across the Ring, it just became impossible to track him down.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > There just wasn’t enough time and information for Thel to become aware of what was happening until it was too late.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > **He did, however, manage to save several of his ships, including his flagship Ascendant Justice, by ordering them to wait behind the gas giant Threshold. Several of them also survived the UNSC raid immediately after the events of Halo 1. It’s implied that Thel was the Elite that Chief ejects out an escape pod in First Strike, when they take control of the Ascendant Justice, though I’m unfamiliar with media the comics or Terminals that might change these facts.**Basically, dude got overwhelmed, his intel network collapsed and by the time he got solid actionable intel, all he could do was retreat and save as many ships and personnel as he could.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > The flagship of the fleet that 'Vadamee was aboard was the Seeker of Truth, not the Ascendant Justice. This is how, when Chief hijacked the Ascendant Justice, 'Vadamee was able to return to High Charity for his trial.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Interesting, so based on this the Chief never met Thel face to face until their meeting in the clutches of the Gravemind in Halo 2.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > As far as we know, yes.
> > > > >
> > > > > So the theory that the beefy boi Chief fought and shoved into a pod was Thel’s out the window now?
> > > >
> > > > Indeed.
> > >
> > > Ahh man. Oh well, I figure not everything from Nylund can stay.
> > > Like shoving 75 kids into the back of a Pelican. XD
> >
> > Or a good portion of the Fall of Reach novel. The game and novel have been retconned to coincide with each other now, however in the novel it portrayed Reach falling in a single day, which we know is most definitely not true based off of the game, more like a month (which I much prefer).
>
> Just curious, why do you prefer the idea of Reach taking a month to fall over one day?
Makes it seem like a more painful, demoralizing event for the UNSC. Like peeling off a band-aid slowly vs all at once.