717th Xeno-Materials Exploitation Battalion

The 717th Xeno-Materials Exploitation Battalion was a formation of the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps under the operational command of the Office of Naval Intelligence. It was tasked with securing and retrieving alien materials, including Forerunner artifacts.

Overview
After the detection of Forerunner activity on the planet Gao on April 14, 2553, CINCONI Margaret Parangosky gave command of battalion to Commander Murtag Nelson and deployed it to the planet in order to secure a hypothesized Forerunner Ancilla. The battalion's deployment, however, angered many of Gao's anti-centralist citizens. During the course of the expedition, numerous people were found murdered in Goa's Montero Cave System, which launched a joint UNSC-Gao Ministry of Protection investigation into the murders. It was believed that the murders were committed by radicals wishing to blame them on the UNSC occupation.

Composition
The battalion was composed of a number of companies and units that allowed it to pursue its unique mission:
 * Three combat companies
 * Two-three support companies
 * One security company
 * Several scientific units
 * Spartan Blue Team (attached)

List of appearances

 * ''Halo: Last Light
 * Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo