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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lonewolf_5626.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:"There'll Be Another Time..."]]
3
4From the beginning, [[DoomedByCanon you know the end...]]
5
6Unlike the previous games, ''Halo: Reach'' does not hide the fact that the story is going to be a bleak one - Set on a planet destined to fall, ''Reach'' shows that just because you control someone in the battle, it does not mean that you're going to win.
7
8* For the players who were there from the start; just the fact that this game is {{Creator/Bungie}}'s parting shot to ''Halo'' franchise as a whole.
9* The deaths of the squad members, [[DwindlingParty one at a time]].
10** Jorge's SenselessSacrifice.
11** Kat's surprise BoomHeadshot.
12** Carter's HeroicSacrifice.
13** Emile's TakingYouWithMe.
14** Noble 6's LastStand.
15* [[HeroicSacrifice "Negative. I have the gun. Good luck, sir."]] Followed by, [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture "This is the Pillar of Autumn. We're away...Package is with us."]]
16* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7peRIR9qS0Y&feature=related The last level]]. Reach is covered in dust, fog, and ruins. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4jWeo5oxA Painfully beautiful piano music plays]]. Six stands tall, and watches the Covenant destroy the planet. They get ready for their last stand. It's the end of the Halo saga. As the gameplay begins, the title rolls in: ''"There'll Be Another Time..."''. If you're not overcome with ManlyTears, you ''will'' be by the time you've watched the final cutscene.
17** And just before that, when you know what's coming and you can hear the tone of the music behind Six staying behind to give the Autumn cover. FridgeBrilliance kicks in when you remember the only other time that music is played is during Jorge's sacrifice, the destruction of the ''Long Night of Solace'', and the arrival of the rest of the Covenant Fleet. Subtly telling you that yes, Six is not going to make it, but they ''have'' managed to do something monumental with their sacrifice.
18* The Deliver Hope trailer. Not so much the visuals, but the ''soundtrack''... Thom (the original Noble Six) dies in the trailer, carrying a tactical nuclear weapon inside a Covenant cruiser. Kat and Carter think they failed him. Holland thinks he was an idiot. They're all wrong.
19* Jorge's death. In order to destroy a Covenant Cruiser, Noble-Six and Jorge are tasked with setting up a slipspace bomb on the ship. In the struggle against opposing forces, the bomb is damaged and must be detonated manually. Jorge immediately volunteers, tearing away his helmet, giving Six his tags, and throwing him/her out of the ship to the surface of Reach. As Six falls, they see a large segment of the ship being torn away, with Jorge going with it. When Six meets up with the rest of Noble Team, Carter insists they keep Jorge's tags, commenting on the fact that he sacrificed himself thinking he'd saved the planet he loved.
20-->'''Jorge''': Tell 'em to make it '''''count'''''.
21** And then, directly after Jorge sacrifices himself to destroy the ship and tosses you off on your gravity propelled trip to terra, you look to the right to see that his sacrifice is [[SenselessSacrifice rendered pointless]] as the [[OhCrap ENTIRE DAMN COVENANT FLEET pops out of slipspace]], filled to the brim with ships exactly like the one that was about to 'cleanse the taint' all by its lonesome. [[WebVideo/FreemansMind Because what do you do when something that big wants to kill you]]?
22** [[FromBadToWorse Even worse,]] right after the new Covenant fleet appears, Six lands, wounded on re-entry. With nothing but a pistol, they make it up a hill and spot a large city, mostly smoldering, with a huge Covie ship floating above, while some of the most heart-wrenching music in the entire series plays [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBsHTZYtb3A (Up to 1:28 on this vid)]].
23** In addition, take a look at the date in the corner: August 23, 2552. The previous mission ''Long Night of Solace'' was dated August 14, 2552. ''Nine'' whole days have passed since the Covenant fleet arrived, meaning Six was making their way across the planet, wounded and on their own for nearly two weeks.
24* Even right ''before'' Jorge's sacrifice, there's a wham moment where the frigate UNSC Savannah that was escorting you for the entire mission (and whose slipstream drive was cannibalized to make the bomb you're carrying) suddenly gets torn to shreds right in front of your eyes. The music goes solemn right at that moment and stays that way ''as you're about to assault the corvette's bridge.''
25* The opening cutscene of “New Alexandria.“ Noble Six sits alone in the troop bay of a Pelican, looking out at the city, which is burning. Lightning cracks across the sky, and even without seeing the Spartan’s face, you can just tell that Six is a exhausted from days of fighting (not to mention the loss of Jorge). After a few moments, Six stands up, picks up their rifle, and gets ready to get out of the dropship. Once more into the fray…
26** The scene continues as Carter greets Six, saying that “It’s good to have you back.” Six’s response? “Sorry I came alone.”
27* Kat's death during the ending cutscene of "New Alexandria", which is made even more upsetting when you find out through the game's Director's Commentary that Kat and Carter had a relationship prior to the events of Reach, which explains why he ends up being the one carrying her body...
28** Kat's line, "First glassing? Me too," hits hard, as throughout the game she is presented as a cold, analytical type, and this line displays a rare moment of emotional weakness moments before her death.
29** What happens after Kat's death: forlorn piano music plays, Noble Six fires helplessly at the Covenant sniper, then drags Kat's corpse into the bunker, the door brushing her limp foot as it closes. In total darkness, the piano music continues as the subtitles imply a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming in the background. The music switches into a painfully beautiful orchestral piece as you see Noble Team emerge into the burning ruins of New Alexandria - Kat's corpse in Carter's arms. As they slowly light a flare for a Pelican, the music climaxes into a mixture of sadness and hopefulness. Bonus points for incredible camerawork.
30** If you have subtitles on, [[FromBadToWorse it only goes downhill from there.]] NOBLE Team are not the only ones in that bunker. As shown by the subtitles, civilians have gone in earlier to escape the glassing. They try and comfort each other, but realistically, they're probably terrified for their lives, even as they soothe their companions. When the team is extracted, no one else is there. Make of that what you will.
31--->'''Civilian:''' I don't want to die! Please, let me live!\
32'''Civilian:''' Shh, I'm here. It's okay.
33*** For what it's worth... that Field Marshal is probably the same one you fight at the end of ''The Pillar of Autumn.'' It won't bring her back, but... killing him gives you, if not some small amount of Schadenfreude, then at least satisfaction.
34* The beginning of "The Package" shows us Noble Teams' return to Sword Base, where Holland asks for Carter to give him a sitrep, only for Carter, who seen before is always eager to talk with Colonel Holland whenever asked, to instead be silent for a few seconds. It's easy to tell that even less than a week later Carter is still trying to find some means of quietly grieving over the death of Kat; the only other original member of Noble Team and whom according to WordOfGod they had some form of relationship together.
35-->'''Colonel Holland''': Noble One, this is Noble Actual. ''{{Beat}}'' Noble One?\
36'''Carter-A259''': ...Go ahead.
37* "You're on your own, Noble. Carter out." '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oNbixyGZ-Y&feature=fvst (BOOM!)]]''' Made sadder when after Carter tells the two surviving Spartans he's going to ram the Scarab, Emile just states unemotionally "Solid copy. Hit 'em hard, boss." It's almost DullSurprise, but then you realize Emile's been hardened so much by his team's deaths he's ''unable'' to show emotion, or at least [[ItHasBeenAnHonor he's honoring his leader by being as military as professional]], which Emile definitely isn't. Additionally, Carter's "You're on your own" is sad in a special way, as he was the TeamDad.
38* "'''I'M READY! HOW 'BOUT YOU!?'''" Sayonara, ya crazy bastard...
39** Veers into [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments heartwarming]] in hindsight, as in ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'', Elites are repeating his final words, meaning they remember him and respect his TakingYouWithMe.
40* Understanding of the ''Halo'' universe will have some FridgeSadness. Dr. Halsey's hostility towards the [=SPARTANs=] was engendered by suspicion, since they weren't "her" [=SPARTANs=]. Her attitude change is tearjerking stuff, especially her final farewell to Noble Six.
41* Pay close attention to the bodies around you in Lone Wolf. The Spartan corpses' armor resembles the rest of Noble Team, just different colors. It's like they are all there waiting for you to join them in death. Can also double as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, if you look at it as the developers giving Six some familiar company before they die, or that they are still with them until the very end.
42* The last part of ''Exodus'', where as you're flying through the city in a Falcon taking potshots at Covenant, you hear a lot of radio traffic between the evacuating ships and UNSC dispatchers, the general gist of it being that there's way too much going on for the defending human forces to handle. This eventually culminates in one ship trying to take off without clearance. They then get shot down, nose-diving into the bay. A question of whether they should search for survivors is only met with "No point."
43* In the last level, the brief conversation Six and Captain Keyes have after Six delivers Cortana.
44--> '''Keyes:''' Good to see you, spartan. Halsey assured me I could count on you.\
45'''Six:''' Not just me, sir.\
46'''Keyes:''' They'll be remembered.
47* The post-credits cinematic, accompanied by "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isaOrKNHw7g Ghosts and Glass]]". A shot of Noble Six's broken helmet, first showing shortly after his death, but then switching to [[DistantFinale 37 years in the future]], showing the now-rusted helmet surrounded by greenery and life, showing that Reach managed to recover, while Dr. Halsey narrates how Six's sacrifice enabled humanity to survive.
48* [[http://www.rememberreach.com/ Remember Reach.]] It doesn't help that the poignant music playing in the background is called "Ghosts of Reach."
49* The ruined state of Reach in the opening and closing cutscenes.
50* The entire premise of the game. Even before you start, you know that it's futile. Even if you follow ''none'' of the ExpandedUniverse material, if you've played the first game you know that Master Chief is the last Spartan and the game takes place after "the fall of Reach." No matter what you do, Reach is going to fall and there is only ''one'' possible ending for this team, and there's no ''not'' knowing this the instant you know the game's title. (Thus, you'll tell yourself not to get emotionally invested. You will anyway.) The true twist is that it recovers, and is green as ever before.

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