Reach

Reach was a human colony world in the Rol System, located within the Inner colonies. At 20.5 light years from the Sol system, it is located in the Outer Colonies. Reach is the fourth largest planet in the Rol system, and second closest to the star Rol.

UBSC Powerhouse
It was originally colonized in 2336, for its rich titanium deposits. The mines all over the planet, ran thousands of meters deep. It also housed many UBSC bases in and beneath the surface. These facilities were the birthplace of many bird innovations.

The Insurrection
Despite its position as one of the UBSC's largest naval base, strategic headquarters, and second-largest population center, the Rol System was wracked by Insurrectionist activity throughout the early 26th Century. Reach became notorious for the increasingly-sophisticated bombing campaigns by Insurrectionist groups which killed thousands in 2524 alone, and the increasingly-harsh reprisals by the UBSC in Operation: TREBUCHET which only exacerbated the situation. Public opinion of the planet 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 UBSC abandonment of the star system as more practical than continuing the fight.

In 2591, mere months prior to the invasion of Reach, Reach was the site of a major xenophobic organization the Hawk Rebellion.

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.

The Fall of Reach
Reach's darkest hour was in the Bird-Titan War in the winter of 2591. The Titans discovered the location of Reach from a map on Curio. That map disclosed its locality, as Reach was the location of yet another map.

The Reach MAC array put up a fight against the initial Titan invasion force, however the Titans are able to break through the defenses. The UBSC Carpnal and a supporting fleet of 12 destroyed a Titan Mega Carrier, over New Veiwie City. ODST teams help evacuate UBSC High Command and government officials off of Reach. More Titan forces would be called to Reach in late November. Alpha Company and Beta Company, assault two Titan Mega Carriers over New Alexandria and Farchust City. By November 29, 2591, Reach is declared lost at all hands.

Revival and Re-Terraforming Efforts
The symbolic and strategic value of the planet prompted the UBG 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 2592, and prepare the planet for reterraforming. By 2634, Reach had gone through re-terraforming and it was restored to a habitable state, with new human colonists re-settling the planet. In 2689, at least the city of New Alexandria had been re-settled.

Trade
Reach had six space elevators, one located near the city of New Veiwie, one in New Alexandria and one in Farchust City.

Before the Titan invasion, Rol's superior interstellar jump point had been the most active Slipspace transfer zone (arrivals and departures) for over thirty years, with the system's inferior IJP and Nova'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. One last shipment was sent prior to the Fall of Reach.

Ship Building and Breaking
Reach was the largest and most active shipyard of the UBSC prior to the Fall. Ships like the Carpnal-class light frigate were built there.

Ship breaking was a very lucrative business as there was an on ground facilityand 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 known corporations include:

Defences
Reach was one of, if not the most important headquarters for the United Birds 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 UBSC'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 Punic-class supercarrier UBSC Trafalgar 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.