Well, here's proof that I wasn't the only one wondering this.
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=72639320
Basically, as far as I can tell, we're screwed. Maybe if we manage to get a message to Bungie, they can pull a saving grace and give us a small time window or something, but I don't think 343i has any intention of bringing this back.
[Edited on 06.07.2012 2:48 AM PDT]