What is the plot for Halo Reach's Campaign?

A screen shot from the Halo: Reach Trailer


What is the plot for Halo Reach's Campaign mode?


Well Bungie is not saying a word about Reach's plot. They never do. They give hints. For Halo 3, it was clear the Master Chief was there to finish the fight. How, we didn't know. All we knew of the plot was that the Covenant had finally found Earth and homed in on found some kind of mysterious artifact located around New Mombassa - many assumed it was the Ark - but no, Bungie was just foxing with the plot. Bless.


Halo: Reach is a little bit different. Bungie hasn't yet given any hints regarding the plot but we know its a prequel so we know where in the Halo timeline it takes place - and lucky for us, there's a novel called the Fall of Reach which is Halo canon, so we can get a indication of what the plot might be.


In essence, the Covenant find the Planet Reach, which is humankind's bastion for all things military and a main point of operation for the United Nations Space Command (it's kind of like Star Trek's Federation) - the Covenant are looking for something that will help them complete their 'spiritual journey'. To get to it, they have to take out the humans.


On a hiding to nothing, the Master Chief sends a group of Spartans to help the battle (i.e. on a campaign!) and defend some cannons which are being used to repel the Covenant onslaught. It would be safe to assume that the game's campaign plot would have something for your character to do in this vein.


The recent leaker of the campaign pictures suggested that the first three levels of the game went like this.


First Level: Find the crashed Spartans
Second Level: Provide cover support for a Spartan who is hacking 3 cannons to provide some kind of cover (which ties in with the Reach novel somewhat)
Third Level: A sniper based level where you attempt to rescue some scientists.


This should be taken with a large grain of salt - this could simply be internet tripe. Don't take it to heart. And even if it was true, Bungie could change anything.


A key element of the Fall of Reach is the end which sets up the events of the original Xbox game, Halo: Combat Evolved. Spartan John 117 and Cortana are aboard the Pillar of Autumn ship, but most of the other Spartans are presumed killed in action as the Covenant do their 'glass the planet thing'.


The AI construct Cortana initiates a slipspace course based on the glyphs intercepted by the Covenant during the battle, the course plotted takes them to a massive ringworld known as we all call Halo, thus neatly preparing the stage for the events of, Halo: Combat Evolved.


It's my pick that this is such a signifcant plot development that it just has to be referenced in a major way in the campaign plot of the Halo: Reach xbox game.


Of course, Bungie could simply choose to tell an untold story that only losely follows the stories! Fan's might be a bit irked though....


What do you think? What is likely to happen on the Reach?