Reach

Reach was a human colony world in the Epsilon Eridani system, located within the Inner colonies. At 10.5 light years from the Sol system, it is located at Earth's metaphorical doorstep. Reach is the fourth largest planet in the Epsilon Eridani system, and second closest to the star Epsilon Eridani.
==History==
===Forerunner Era and Pre-Colonization===
The Forerunners once had some sort of presence on Reach circa 100,000 BCE. At that time, Reach only had one moon; Csodaszarvas. They built at least one structure beneath Menachite Mountain. A large Forerunner star ship also crashed on Reach.
Reach's second moon, Turul, was captured in Reach's gravity, somewhere between 80,000 BCE and 70,000 BCE.
First confirmations of Reach's existence to Earth's humans were in the early 21st century.
===UNSC Powerhouse===
It was originally colonized in 2362 by the Odyssey for its rich titanium deposits. The mines all over the planet ran thousands of meters deep. ONI's CASTLE Base was located in one of these mines underneath Menachite Mountain. The Office of Naval Intelligence commandeered the mine after it breached a secret complex beneath Reach's surface containing a Forerunner artifact that was highly desired by the Covenant. The fact that this artifact was so valuable to them is perhaps the main reason anyone survived the aftermath of the Fall of Reach at all, as the Covenant were afraid of destroying it. This facility was also the birthplace of the legendary SPARTAN-II Program.
The Spartan-IIs were trained and housed on Reach. It was said by Fred-104 that Reach was their home, and every Spartan-II would fight to the death to defend her. It was hinted that Reach was more important to the Spartans than Earth, the homeworld of humanity.
===The Insurrection===
Despite its position as the UNSC's largest naval base, strategic headquarters, and second-largest population center, the Epsilon Eridani system was wracked by Insurrectionist activity throughout the early 26th Century. Reach and its sister planets, Tribute and Circumstance, became notorious for the increasingly-sophisticated bombing campaigns by Insurrectionist groups which killed thousands in 2524 alone, and the increasingly-harsh reprisals by the UNSC in Operation: TREBUCHET which only exacerbated the situation. Public opinion of the two planets reached an all time low by 2524, with their general population being from the liberal pro-secession circles, was now used as a reactionary slogan by people who saw a total UNSC abandonment of the star system as more practical than continuing the fight.
In 2525, mere months prior to the outbreak of the Human-Covenant war, Reach was the site of a major terrorist bombing against the luxury liner National Holiday. Two taxi-shuttles filled with explosives were rammed into the liner, resulting in the liner losing control and plummeting into the atmosphere, incinerating everyone on board as well as burning the paint off any ship in a 2 kilometer radius.
Between November 2530 and May 2531, Blue Team came to Reach to break up a saboteur ring.
At some point during the Insurrection, Operation: CLEAN SWEEP took place on Reach.Halo: Reach Legendary Edition - Bonus Item: Dr. Halsey's personal journal, July 23, 2552
===The Fall of Reach===
Reach's darkest hour was near the close of the Human-Covenant war in the summer of 2552. The Covenant discovered the location of Reach from a Forerunner artifact recovered during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. That artifact disclosed its locality, as Reach was the location of yet another artifact. Coincidentally, the Human presence on Reach was revealed when the destroyer returned to Reach, unaware that a Covenant spy drone was attached to her hull near the engines. At the same time, Reach was secretly discovered by the Fleet of Valiant Prudence.
 with a contingent of SPARTAN-IIs was about to embark on a mission when a signal ordered them to recall to Reach to defend against a massive Covenant attack. Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 ordered the majority of the Spartans to the planet's surface to protect the generators for the Orbital Defense Platforms while he and two other Spartans boarded Reach Station Gamma to secure an unprotected NAV database aboard the ONI corvette .
The battle was a disaster for the numerically-inferior UNSC fleet, despite the Super MAC Guns, resulting in the planet's destruction by means of glassing. CASTLE base was destroyed after the planet's fall and the Covenant began searching for a Forerunner crystal. When UNSC forces finally abandoned the planet, a small Covenant occupation fleet remained in the system.
===Revival and Re-Terraforming Efforts===
The symbolic and strategic value of the planet prompted the UEG to quickly select Reach for remediation and recolonization. The surviving populace and infrastructure would assist in this endeavor.
A scouting team arrived on Reach to see the true damage to the planet in November 2553, and prepare the planet for reterraforming. By 2589, Reach had gone through re-terraforming and it was restored to a habitable state, with new human colonists re-settling the planet. In 2610, at least the city of New Alexandria had been re-settled.Halo: Reach Legendary Edition - Bonus Item: Journal Package Letter
==Economy==
===Trade===
Reach had nine space elevators, three located near the city of New Alexandria, and one in Manassas
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.
Reach was also the largest non-automated exporter of titanium, and had many titanium mines on the surface. Titanium was in such abundance in fact, that entire spires of the element rose up from the ground.
Reach as well traded livestock, specifically Moa, to the planet Gannick 22. One last shipment was sent prior to the Fall of Reach.
===Ship Building & Breaking===
Reach was the largest and most active shipyard of the UNSC prior to the Fall. Ships like the were built there.
Ship breaking was a very lucrative business as there was an on ground facility and orbital locations for dismantling ships of all kinds. Metal taken from these ships were sent to nearby metal working refineries where they were melted down and could be recast and reformed for any other products that could be made from metal.
===Corporations On Planet===
Reach was the home of many corporations. They either had industrial facilities or commercial/administrative office towers on the planet. These corporations include:
Company 	Facility Location(s)
Traxus Heavy Industries 	
*Traxus Tower, New Alexandria
Sinoviet Heavy Machinery	
*Sinoviet Center, New Alexandria
*Aszod ship breaking yards
*Naval Yard AS-9
BXR Mining 	
*Szurdok Ridge
*Unnamed Mine
Vyrant Telecom 	
*Vyrant Telecom Tower, New Alexandria
Jotun Heavy Industries 	
*New Alexandria
World Cuisine 	
*New Alexandria
Company 	Facility Location(s)
Misriah Armories	
*Misriah Complex, New Alexandria
*Rajtom Facility, Erőd
DNBM Financial 	
*New Alexandria
Nomolos Refining	
*New Alexandria
Intersystem News	
*Manassas
Ushuaia Armory 	
*Siófok
Club Errera 	
*Vyrant Telecom Tower, New Alexandria
Skyway Cafe 	
*New Alexandria
Mainz Träger 	
*New Alexandria
==Government==
===Defenses===
Reach was one of, if not the most important headquarters for the United Nations Space Command as well as the main supplier of military and civilian spacecraft, and the location of the UNSC's largest and most active shipyard. HIGHCOM, FLEETCOM and the Marine Corps maintained headquarters on Reach, as well as many primary Naval Intelligence bases, which included the highly classified CASTLE Base. It was also where the UNSC's most elite troops, including the ODSTs as well as the Spartan-IIs, were trained. Reach also had their own Central Command.
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 Defense Fleet was a full strength Carrier Group with the at its core.
Eighteen repair and refit space stations, such as Anchor 9, orbited Reach. They too helped repair, refit and otherwise service UNSC Navy starships.
thumb|200px|Reach Station Gamma and a over Reach.
Orbiting around Reach was a semi-mobile array of twenty Orbital Defense Platforms (ODP), equipped with heavy MAC Guns known as "big sticks," some of which were in place as early as 2527. They were in turn defended by multiple wings of single ships and tactical multi-role craft. In addition, there were also about 100 to 150 warships stationed in the Epsilon Eridani System at any time. The ODPs were destroyed during the invasion of Reach, or were disabled by ground troops by destroying their power source. Despite their huge numbers, the fleet of warships were destroyed by an even larger Covenant fleet.
*Total Available Military Manpower: 385,421,100
*Total Land Assets: 58,430
*Total Naval Assets: 1,209 (T); 75 (X)
*Total Air Assets: 11,050
*Serviceable Airports: 1,246
*Defense Budget: cR. 38,287,000,000 [2548]
==Culture==
===People===
Many of the original settlers hailed from Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, which is reflected in some of the names of locations on the planet. Many of the planet's inhabitants also spoke Hungarian as their first language. Despite Reach's harsh nature, some settlers chose to live in small communities of homesteads, referred to as "Kivas,"Halo: Reach Legendary Edition - Bonus Item: Developer Commentary in the wilderness instead of the major cities. Rounded and enclosed, they were comfortable but practical, shuttered against Reach's forceful climate and bunkered into hillsides. It also related their independent nature; powered by wind turbines and hydroelectric plants, they were off the grid and self-sustaining.
Reach's purpose was not solely military however; the surface of the planet also featured farmland and civilian towns and districts. The largest cities on Reach were Manassas, Quezon and Ezhtergom.
===Sports===
Reach also had a large sporting event or was the host planet for the 2552 Reach Galactic Cup.
===Tourism===
Reach had its own tourism board.Halo 5: Guardians - Forge Object: Billboard, Reach Escape
==Physical Aspects==
===Topography===
File:Reach-m10 evironment.jpg|The temperate landscape around Visegrád.
File:Halo Reach Powerhouse 04.jpg|The mountainous desert near Szurdok Ridge.
File:Halo Reach - Farragut Station.jpg|The snowy redoubt of Farragut Station near the northern Babd Catha Ice Shelf.
File:TPoA Header.jpg|The rough, arid Aszod region during a glassing induced thunderstorm. 
File:HTFoR Animated Series - Highland Mountains.jpg|The alpine Highland Mountains.
Reach is a young planet with an age of no more than one billion years. Compared to the 4.6 billion years of Earth, Reach is remarkably geologically stable. Reach is larger than Earth, having a diameter of 15,273 kilometers, compared to the 12,756 kilometers diameter of Earth. Reach was however only the fourth largest planet in the Epsilon Eridani system. Reach was originally inhospitable for human life, requiring some degree of terraforming before it could be colonized. Mostly a rugged and harsh wilderness filled with towering mountains, deserts and weather-beaten forests, The surface is pockmarked with meteor impact craters, with some of them forming large seas.
While Reach was being glassed, many polar regions like the Babd Catha Ice Shelf partially melted. A large ionic storm formed at Aszod because of this glassing, which caused it to rain. After the Fall of Reach, most of the planet's surface was glassed. 
===Flora and Fauna===
Reach had a thriving eco-system with various different species. The Highland Mountains contain a diverse range of flora and fauna. There were hundreds of different kinds of trees, plants, and animals including Douglas Firs, Cedars, Wild Blueberry Bushes, Moa, gray wolves (Imported from Earth), Owls (Imported from Earth), and Koi. Szurdok Ridge also had the alien Gúta. New Alexandria had rats (Imported from Earth) that lived in the maintenance areas in the city. There were also Koi in the Sinoviet Center. All over the planet, various avian species, including natives of Earth can be seen.
===Ground locations===
*Erőd
*Lábatlan
*ODG Facility A-412
*Mount TöröttHalo: Reach, Breakpoint radio conversation
*Viery Territory
**Unidentified BXR Titanium Mine
**Ütközet
***Szurdok Ridge
****Unidentified hydroelectric power plant
***Eposz
****Babd Catha Ice Shelf
*****Sword Base
*****Farragut Station
*****Airview Base
****Alfold
*****Ung
******Aszod
*******Ship breaking yards
*****Bars
******Ezhtergom
*******Esztergom Spaceport
******Mohács
*****Manassas
******Manassas Spaceport
****Farkas Lake
*****Sabre Program Launch/Research Range
****New Alexandria
*****Fleet Command Headquarters
*****Hősök tere
****Highland Mountains
*****Military Reservation 01478-B
*****Reach High Command
******HIGHCOM Armory Omega
*****Camp Hathcock
*****Camp Independence
*****Fairchild Field
*****Visegrád
******Visegrád Relay
*****Csongrád
******Menachite Mountain
*******CASTLE Base
*****Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex
******Reach Naval Academy
*****Military Wilderness Training Preserve
******Longhorn Valley
*******Big Horn River
*******ODG Facility A-331
===Cities===
*Quezon
*Pálháza
*Siófok
**Siófok Firing Range
===Orbital Locations===
*Anchor 4
*Anchor 9
*Casimir Station
*Medical Facility Endurance
*Reach Station Gamma
===Unknown===
*Sinoviet Naval Yard AS-9
===Astronomy===
Reach is located near a small nebula, which has a visible effect on the planet and its moons, casting an "aura" similar to the Aurora Borealis. This could also be caused by Reach having a weaker magnetic field compared to Earth. It has two moons, the much larger ringed Csodaszarvas and the smaller, cratered Turul. Given Reach’s diameter and surface gravity, its mass is calculated to be 9.26x1024 kg or 1.55 times that of Earth, giving it a mean density of 4.96 g/cm3. Pursuant to the mass of the Epsilon Eridani star and Reach’s orbital period the planet’s average orbital distance is calculated to be approximately 158,240,000 km or 1.06 AU.
==Known Residents==
===Born On===
These were the people who were born on Reach.
*Jorge-052
*James Cutter
*Dimah Tchakova
*Nairn
*Marcus Hudson
===Resided Only===
These were the people who were born on other planets, but lived on Reach for an extended period of time.
*Dr. Catherine Halsey
*Franklin Mendez
*74 SPARTAN-IIs
===Unknown===
These were the people who lived on Reach, but it is unknown if they were born there or came from elsewhere.
*Abiad
*Mary Cutter
*Gabe
*Laszlo Sorvad
**Sára Sorvad 
==Gallery==
===Concept Art===
City Burning.jpg|Concept of the attack on New Alexandria
File:Concept 04.jpg|Concept art showcasing the weather-beaten landscape on Reach.
HALO Reach Wallpaper065.jpg|Concept of a battle between the Covenant and the UNSC
Reach concept03.jpg|Concept of Visegrád
Halo-reach-concept-art-landscape.jpg|Concept of Aszod
Pioneer base reach concept art.jpg|Concept of the wilderness of Reach, with a settlement visible
File:HaloReach - FrigateWreck.png|A destroyed UNSC frigate over Reach during the Fall.
File:1222px-Fall of Reach (ET).jpg|Another view of Reach after its glassing (Note the destroyed station, and the bodies in space).
===Orbital View===
Space_Debris.jpg|Reach.
File:REACHnebula.PNG|The nebula situated close to Reach.
File:HaloReach - ReachSurface.jpg|The surface of Reach from orbit.
File:Reach Orbit.png|A view of Reach and its moons from orbit.
File:HaloReach - ReachMoons.png|Turul and Csodaszarvas, the two natural satellites of Reach.
Anchor 9.jpg|Anchor 9 in orbit of Reach.
File:Reachtoearth.jpg|A comparison of Earth's size to Reach's.
reach_10593794_Medium.jpg|A view of Reach, its moons, and Anchor 9 and its debris field in the background.
===Flora and Fauna===
File:HaloReach - Flora.jpg|Flora on Reach.
reach_14897759_Medium.jpg|An unknown species of birds on the planet Reach.
Halo Reach Moa.jpg|A group of Moa on the planet Reach.
Guta.jpg|Two Gútas at night
===Terrain===
Title.jpg|Reach as seen in the Halo: Reach main menu.
File:Halo Reach Powerhouse.jpg|A hydroelectric plant on Reach.
File:Reach E310 Firefight Beachhead03.jpg|Caracalla Park, viewing New Alexandria on Reach.
File:Reach 13638956 Medium.jpg|A bridge in Szurdok Ridge
===Architecture===
File:Quezon.png|A public center in Quezon.
File:Manassas Spaceport.png|A spaceport in Manassas.
HL_Homecoming_DaisyEscaping.jpg|Daisy-023 in an unknown city on Reach during her escape.
File:Reach 25501286 Full.jpg|A concourse in New Alexandria
File:Reach FF Courtyard01.jpg|Sword Base on Reach.
File:H2A Terminal ReachCityGlassing.jpg|An unknown city on Reach being attacked by the Fleet of Particular Justice.
===Maps/Planetary Overviews===
5881775446 fd339ebe11 o.jpg|A topographical map of the Sword Base area
File:Viery.jpg|A satellite view of the Viery Territory note the UNSC order of battle for the Battle of Viery.
ReachMap.jpg|An annotated map of a portion of the planet's landscape.
File:Reach_Hologram.png|A hologram of Reach in a Covenant corvette's holotank.
Reachhologram 04.jpg
Reachhologram 03.jpg
Reachhologram 02.jpg
Reachhologram 01.jpg
===The Fall of Reach===
reach_15208426_Medium.jpg|A Glassed Reach with the wreckage of Reach Station Gamma visible.
File:Reach AssaultCarriers.jpg|The second fleet of Covenant to attack Reach.
File:Reach.jpg|Reach being glassed by Covenant forces.
File:Reach glassed.png|Reach being glassed.
Reach 8297174 Full.jpg|The battle near Szurdok Ridge.
H2A_Cutscene_ReachGlassed.png|A glassed Reach.
File:HR-Bitmap_PrologueReach.png|Reach being glassed during the Fall of Reach.
File:Reach E310 Campaign10.jpg|A battle raging around Anchor 9 and Reach's orbital shipyards.
File:Alexandria glassed.jpg|The Siege of New Alexandria.
==Appearances==
*Halo: Combat Evolved 
**Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary 
*Halo 2
**Halo 2: Anniversary
*Halo 3: ODST 
*Halo: Reach
*Halo: The Fall of Reach 
*Halo: First Strike
*Halo: Ghosts of Onyx 
*Halo: Contact Harvest 
*Halo: The Cole Protocol
*Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
**Pariah
**Dirt 
**The Return 
*Halo Wars: Genesis 
*Halo Legends
**Origins
**Homecoming
*Halo: Mortal Dictata 
==Sources==
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zh:致远星
Category:Reach
Category:Human colony worlds