A legendary yet fearsome weapon is rediscovered. Soldiers long without a fight are suddenly thrust into one. One reflects on his past, refusing to look at his future.
4 years after the events of Halo 3, once more humanity is at war with fundamentalist remnants of their alien rival, the Covenant. Critically damaged, the UNSC Houston uncovers another Halo ring, untouched and fully operational. Able to rally a small fleet of leftovers and two Spartan Teams, the humans find themselves in a war of attrition, fighting to ensure that this weapon of mass destruction doesn't fall into the wrong hands. The Spartans must face trial after trial, confronting what it means to be leaders, soldiers, and at their cores: humans. Every man and woman that fights in this ring will not come out the same, or even come out at all. To all of them, this ring will be their gauntlet.
I do not own the Halo intellectual property, all ownership goes to Microsoft and 343 Industries.
2560, a ring like structure has been found in uncharted space by a human exploration ship. They reported the structure as, "A giant ring, with what looks like an Earth like surface, with water, mountains, and grass, with the outside gray frame pulsating with blue lights." Everyone in the surrounding area tried to track the ship and contact them. They were never heard from again.
The UNSC traced the signal to unknown coordinates, and are enroute to establish contact, as they believe the ring structure to be a Halo ring. A dangerous weapon built by Forerunners to wipe out the galaxy, and ran by Covenant. I am a marine, designation Sierra Mike 115, my squad and I will be one of the first to touch down on the ring. Godspeed.