It is 2553, and the three-decade long Covenant War has suddenly drawn to a close. Tension remains high and threatens to overflow into another full-scale conflict. When the planet Gao is revealed to harbor ancient Forerunner technology that could solidify the military's supremacy, Insurrection loyalists will do anything to ensure that never happens.

December 2553. Less than a year after the end of the Covenant War, a string of violent incidents continues to threaten the tenuous peace in human-held space ... culminating in the assassination of UNSC fleet admiral Graselyn Tuwa and the abduction of her family.

2526. It has been a year since humanity engaged in its destructive first contact with a theocratic military alliance of alien races known as the Covenant. Now the hostilities have led to open war, and the United Nations Space Command understands virtually nothing about its new enemy. There are only two certainties-the Covenant is determined to eradicate humanity, and they have the superior technology to do just that. The UNSC's only hope lies with the Spartans: enhanced supersoldiers raised and trained from childhood via a clandestine black ops project to be living weapons. Their designated...

A Master Chief story and original full-length novel set in the Halo universe-based on the New York Times bestselling video game series! 2526. It has been more than a year since humanity first encountered the hostile military alliance of alien races known as the Covenant, and several weeks after the United Nations Space Command's devastating counterattack of Operation: SILENT STORM was deemed an overwhelming success. The UNSC has put its faith in the hands of the Spartans, led by the legendary Master Chief, John-117: enhanced super-soldiers raised and trained from childhood via a...