USA TODAY BESTSELLER An original novel set in the Halo universe—based on the New York Times bestselling video game series! A HALO INFINITE STORY December 2559. Humanity has its back against the wall after the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity drops out of slipspace into a devastating ambush launched by the Banished. As this fierce enemy alliance seeks to claim a mysterious object hidden within the ancient Forerunner construct known as Zeta Halo, the surviving UNSC corps finds itself compromised and its leadership out of reach—with remaining personnel forced to abandon ship and take their chances on the fractured, unpredictable surface of the Halo ring. Now survival in this strange, alien environment—whether for Spartan super-soldiers or those who never thought they would see the battle up close—is measured day to day against a relentless and brutal adversary that always has the upper hand. Desperation grows, but the will to keep on fighting and enduring no matter the odds is never in doubt…even as the Banished seek to unleash a frightening new enemy that could doom them all… Kelly Gay is a USA TODAY bestselling author and the critically acclaimed creator of the Charlie Madigan urban fantasy series. She is a multipublished author with works translated into several languages. She is a two-time RITA nominee, an ARRA nominee, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, and a SIBA Book Award Long List finalist. Kelly is also a recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Fellowship Grant in Literature. Within the Halo universe, she has authored the widely lauded novels Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (a USA TODAY bestseller), Halo: Point of Light , and Halo: Renegades , the novella Halo: Smoke and Shadow , and the short story “Into the Fire,” featured in Halo: Fractures . She can be found online at KellyGay.com. Chapter 1 CHAPTER 1 UNSC Infinity December 12, 2559 Day 1 “S tone, get those lifeboats deployed now!” Palmer’s voice rang sharp in her ears. “On the last load out, Commander. We’ve got a total of four seats open.” “They’ll never make it. I’m diverting them to Bay Ten. And watch your tail. It’s a mess out there.” “Roger that.” A metric ton of titanium support beam pressed on Spartan Bonita Stone’s armor-clad shoulders as she held up the corridor ceiling from collapsing. Her muscles burned. Pressure built in her chest, her heart working overtime to process the massive surge of adrenaline flowing through her system. Amid the smoke billowing in the passageway twenty meters ahead, a friendly was making his way to the lifeboats behind her. Infinity shuddered again. Power cables and plating fell and sparked and the giant beam she held aloft shifted. Her stance dropped another fifteen centimeters, putting incredible strain on her thighs and knees. “How… much… farther?” She squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth. “Nineteen meters,” Ouco, her personal AI, replied. Stone cracked her eyes open, dialing in on the shadowy figure emerging from the haze. It was a young medic, stumbling and coughing, then suddenly falling to his knees as he gagged on the acrid white smoke of melting cables and circuitry. “Get up!” she shouted. Her muscles began to tremble from fatigue; she’d have to release the beam soon. “Get your ass up right now! If I can hold this damn beam, you can stand! One foot in front of the other!” “I’m trying,” he gasped, barely audible, as a massive fiber-optic cable fell through the broken ceiling, hitting the floor next to him. Several meters behind him, the passageway blew apart and red fragments of what looked like a Banished Seraph tore through Infinity ’s hull. The vacuum of space began to pull smoke and fire and debris. Horrified, the medic scrambled to his feet and ran straight for her. As soon as he slid clear under her arm, Stone ducked and pushed herself backward. The beam immediately slammed into the deck. Quickly she turned, took two steps, grabbed the kid by the arm, and raced toward the lifeboat bay, sealing the doors once they were inside. Only two escape craft remained. Stone pushed the medic toward the lifeboat with one vacant seat left and then paused. Orders were orders and the chain of command had to be respected at all times, but there were still three empty seats in the second lifeboat and hundreds if not thousands of Infinity ’s crew still stuck on board. Reports continued to pour in via Spartan Channel, TEAMCOM, the battlenet… So many continued to fight their way throughout the massive UNSC flagship, or were already out there in fighters, hounding the Banished. The heavy thunder of Infinity ’s 70mm autocannons and Scythe turrets echoed relentlessly as the vessel’s super-heavy magnetic accelerator cannons fired tungsten projectiles that could tear clean through an enemy warship in a single shot. Amid the weapons’ constant clamor, the ship-wide PA system continued issuing evacuation directives, revisin