The year is 2602. Fifty years have passed since the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War. The UEG and UNSC have spent the subsequent five decades undergoing a massive reconstruction effort to rebuild everything the Covenant destroyed. Earth and the Sol System have fully recovered, with humanity’s homeworld and the worlds of their home system becoming fortress worlds, prepared to fend off any threats that stalk the stars. The Inner Colonies spared from the Covenant's sieges have been reborn thanks to UEG partnerships with large corporate assemblies and alliances. However, questions of who truly calls the shots abound in these worlds colloquially called by their inhabitants the "Corporate Colonies." The Outer Colonies, the worst victims of the Covenant, have only received a pittance due to the scarcity of resources and the cost of their restoration. Much like before the Covenant War, insurrectionist groups have filled the leadership void left by the UEG. One of these groups, known as the Bellicose Front, seemed to appear suddenly, offering aid and hope for the downtrodden Outer Colonists. So far, they have not expressedoutright hostility towards the UEG, but few expect this to last. The Covenant is splintered, and its old client species have been left to their own devices. No serious contender has emerged to revive the alien hegemony for most of the 50 years of "peace"... until recently. Whispers speak of an ambitious San 'Shyuum Prelate whose affinity for utilizing relics of the long-extinct Forerunner civilization has drawn many followers. This development has alarmed some within the upper echelons of power in the UEG and UNSC as the only species previously capable of such mastery of this technology was humanity alone. The Master Chief is still missing. A new generation of heroes, the Spartans of the Epsilon class, are entering active duty. But they are untested. Few in number. Their presence may not be enough to push back the encroaching darkness. This is Halo Avalon After the end of the Human-Covenant War, all issues dealing with detecting and eliminating the Flood parasite were placed under the purview of the Office of Naval Intelligence. The creation of the THANATOS Protocol has made possessing, trafficking, and experimenting with the parasite a capital offense punishable by "indefinite quarantine" of all offending individuals. No exceptions.  Task Force Montagu is one of many Flood interdiction teams used by ONI tasked with monitoring the traffic of goods and shipments across the United Earth Government's sphere of influence. Flagging a possible reference to the parasite scheduled for pickup by cargo hauler, Montagu pursues the vessel only to discover a dire threat not just to mankind, but the whole galaxy.