I play the games. I shouldn't have to read the books or watch the cartoons to try and make sense of the story. But even so, the Ark was 25,000 light years from Earth and so far away that humans and the covenant had never ventured close. They needed the portal to go there. After Halo 3, only the Arbiter made it back before the portal closed and the Ark was possibly destroyed. So he was drifting with Cortana nearly 25,000 light years away. They explained it a bit too easily. Again, Reach was the most important military planet. The answers are just too convenient. I mean humanity was on the verge of extinction. Reach was glassed. It took them 27 years to re-terraform it and start rebuilding. So we're supposed to believe in less than 4 and half years they are even stronger than before? Earth had fallen to the covenant, the UNSC homefleet was totally destroyed, and yet 4.5 years later, not only do we have the largest ship in the galaxy now, but a fleet that was supposedly rebuilt but from where? Space elevators, orbital defense platforms were all gone. I try and go by the games, and they said if Reach goes, so goes Earth since it was at the doorstep. Earth was the cultural, political and social hub of humanity and Reach was the military might. So where would ONi get the resources? Where would they get people? If it took them 27 years to fix Reach and re-inhabit it and it was at Earth's doorstep. Thanks for the answers guys, but this is what I don't like about games that change hands. It's like everything that was at stake in the previous games didn't really matter much. Guess there is not much reason for me to post then either.