: Actually, you're not too far off. Because of the whole issue with Reach's
: story and Fall of Reach not matching up the LNoS and her fleet are now
: canonically a special covert op set up to secure the forerunner artifacts
: of Reach before the planet was completely glassed by the fleet of
: Particular Justice. Obviously, the LNoS didn't succeed and the plan was
: most likely scuttled or swept under the rug to hide the fact that the most
: powerful ship in the Covenant armada was destroyed by a single UNSC
: frigate and a stolen corvette.

Um... the secondary fleet jumped in just seconds after the Long Night of Solace was destroyed. There was no hiding that it happened, but the Prophet or Fleetmaster in charge could run damage control.

I think they'd be less worried about saving face, and more worried about hiding the true purpose of their mission. Losing a ship is embarrassing, but covertly stealing artefacts for private use is heavily punished by the Covenant.