therealhippias:As far as the Halo: Reach convo goes, there COULD be Brutes in it and that wouldn't breach canon. It was the Brutes that made first contact on Harvest according to the novels. They could be in it in some form, but probably not mainline troops like the Elites or Grunts.
No, they can't. Here's why. Yes, the Brutes were an operable extension of the Covenant during Harvest, and were the first contact between Humans and Covenant. However, due to their failure in the eyes of the Prophets, the Brutes were taken from military action and placed on Guard duty on High Charity and some Covenant Cruisers. They were not allowed to wear armor- as seen in Halo 2- and were forbidden to take place in combat.With the schism of the Covenant, the Brutes were restored to power- after the fall of Regret, no less.
If we were to see them in Halo: Reach, we would have to either infiltrate High Charity or a high-ranking Covenant Cruiser or Flagship. Even then, there would only be one or so. As it was difficult to get ships off-world, I see this as being a null option. We've more chance of encountering Huragok than Brutes.
Spartan R41, prepped for combat insertion.www.facebook.com/Spartanr41 (If sending a friend request, please also send your HWF name. Keep in mind a request accept isn't guaranteed.)
Never Forgotten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGh7JbFQDX4