Alright, guys. Anybody who may still be keeping up with this fossil surely knows that it resembles nothing similar to what we now know the Reach story to be. That's because I wrote this before I knew anything of the story. Regardless of this story being called Halo: REACH, it could still fit into the canon under a different name (I say [i]could[/i] as it is fanfiction; but I chose to remain within the realm of the reality set by Bungie) under a different title. Unfortunately I will not have the time to complete written forms of REACH 2 and 3, though I have them both from start to finish in my mind and have since a little bit after finishing the REACH script. I'll give a basic run-down on the train of thought that I took with my version of REACH, beyond the first game and through two sequals. [b][u]Halo: REACH 3[/b][/u] Team Beta has escaped from the clutches of the fledgling Gravemind, the same conglomerate which will plague the Master Chief and all life in the Galaxy when he is encountered during the events of Halo 2. The Spartans took advantage of an apparent Covenant schism to disrupt one of the largest massing alien Fleets encountered by humanity, bigger even than the 500 at the [i]Unyielding Hierophant[/i]. The Covenant, having destroyed two sets of ground Generators, learn of a third. It is actually hidden under the Moon's crust, and Noble Team races to its defense before the Covenant learn of its location. They bought humanity precious hours which can be put forward towards thinking of a solution to save the species. Something to win the war. Unknowingly, the same Fleet which they sent into disarray was the one which sent ships to Onyx to recover the Artifact that Kurt, Dr. Halsey, and his team of SPARTAN-IIIs, were trying to learn about. Not only did Team Beta earn Earth a moment of respite, but the top-secret Planet Onyx and its Spartan Guardians as well. The Spartans of Team Beta return to Sol to aid in Earth's defense, fresh off the Battle of Malhiem. They tailed the Slipspace wake from Lepidus and his Brute Fleet, which fled from the Battle. They drop out of slipspace near Earth's outer defenses. Many of the Covenant ships in orbit are now fighting [i]eachother[/i], rather than the humans, allowing the few remaining human ships and Super MACs to pick off numerous Covenant vessels while they're vulnerable. [b]Mission 01:[/b] November 5. Team Beta moves to defend the Moon Secondary Generator, while the Fail-safe Generator hidden on Earth can be brought online. If the Moon Generator falls before the Earth Generator is powered up, the MACs will go offline and the Covenant will easily slink towards the Earth's surface past its derelict defenses. The SPARTAN-II Commandos mobilize with dozens of emergency personnel, orbital drop shock troopers, and marines, while the Covenant launch wave after wave of troops at you. Hold the generator for the time allotted, and then hold off for an evac as the Moon is overrun by aliens. You pull out of the fight and are sent to race directly to the surface of the Earth, where a Covenant Cruiser has slipped past the defenses and is moving toward the now-active Failsafe Generator. The Spartans' Pelican docks with an orbital station, and the Spartans are introduced to a new prototype vehicle, the Saber, which they note is actually rather similar to flying a Longsword, though much more responsive. Almost like a suit of MJOLNIR built for space. [b]Mission 02:[/b] November 5. The Spartans fight through the station briefly as it has been compromised by Covenant boarders. On the way through the small station, Team Leader Sierra-259 takes a detour toward the Engine Block to set off the failsafes, enacting Cole Protocol by destroying the docking station before the Covenant learning anything which could help them overcome humanity. Ironic, as they are right on our doorstep. A Spartan 'til the end. They fight their way to the far docking bay, where they take their respective Sabers, and take off just in time, before the station explodes. Team Beta utilizes their prototypes to try and hunt down the rogue Covenant ship. They blast their way through numerous defenses such as Seraphs, but as soon as the ship breaks through the Covenant frontline and into the atmosphere, it has no point defenses of its own. It's not launching any defenses, for some reason. They follow it down as it explosively enters the atmosphere, whittling away at its defenses as its weakened shields pop. The ship itself, over 5 kilometers long, is nearly five times the length of the Pillar of Autumn. Using their Sabers to fly back and forth along the massive ship, destroying and disabling key points, they move in for a final Kill; to overload its exposed reactor (the spot where the Chief kicked the bomb in Halo 2). At the last moment, they break through the atmosphere and their communications finally come online. The ship hails itself as the [i]Shadow of Intent[/i], claiming to be a Sangheili ship with humans aboard willingly; the first of the truce to reach Earth. It is in fact Miranda Keyes, Sgt. Johnson, Thel 'Vadam, and Rtas 'Vadum (from Halo 2/3). The Spartans lay off on the fire, and the [i]Shadow of Intent[/i] lands for repairs in the inconspicuous space on Earth where the secret Failsafe Generator is; of all places, Africa. This is where the marine base is set up during Halo 3/Halo 3: ODST. In orbit, the tide of battle turns. News of the alliance ripples through the battling alien fleets in space, and with the word of Thel 'Vadam backing them, ally themselves with humanity, pushing the Brutes away from Sol. [b]Mission 03:[/b] November 6. The Spartans - and Earth entire - have had their day of rest. The Brute Fleets - too weak to take on Earth - have pushed back to the second most productive world in the system: Mars. The Spartans are sent to intercept them, and to try and crush the Fleet before the Prophet of Truth arrives with reinforcements from High Charity. They board the [i]Shadow of Intent[/i], Miranda, Johnson, and the Arbiter remaining on Earth, and head out in favor of Mars' defense. The Covenant don't seem to have any particular target; they are simply planning on glassing the world to allow Truth safe entry into the system. After the Spartans arrive, intel gets thrown off as the Covenant stop glassing the world and all move toward the equator, where they begin digging. The Spartans are assigned to Colonel Ackerson, who has been defending the region of Mare Erythraeum from Covenant incursions for the past 4 days. The assaults are getting more and more violent, and he reveals that the Spartan-IIIs of Gamma Company have been relocated here, where they are battling for the defense of the Red World. The Spartans inquire why the Covenant are so interested in this area, and after a little prodding, Ackerson deems it harmless to reveal to the SPARTANS that ONI had uncovered an ancient alien artifact, similar to the ones on Reach and Onyx, on November 3rd. The Artifact appears to be a massive city of sorts, built out of highly polished Onyx, which isn't a common mineral on Mars. The city is circular, leading down with massive steps, similar to the Forerunner artifact on Reach, though on a much larger scale. -- to be continued -- [b]Mission 04:[/b] November [b]Mission 05:[/b] [b]Mission 06:[/b] [b]Mission 07:[/b] [b]Mission 08:[/b] [b]Mission 09:[/b] [b]Mission 10:[/b]