Halo: Bad Blood

Halo: Bad Blood is a print novel by Matt Forbeck, released on June 26, 2018. It serves as a sequel to Halo: New Blood and is set immediately after Halo 5: Guardians. It follows Spartan Edward Buck and his old squad Alpha-Nine following the events of Halo 5: Guardians.

Plot synopsis
In a report for the Office of Naval Intelligence, Edward Buck reflects on the events that transpired after Michael "Mickey" Crespo betrayed him and Kojo "Romeo" Agu in Operation: COALPEPPER on Talitsa: his recruitment on Fireteam Osiris, his missions with them on Kamchatka, Meridian, and Sanghelios, and rescuing Blue Team from Cortana's grasp on Genesis. After saving them, both Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team fought against several armigers until they found India 127, a D79-TC Pelican that crash-landed on Genesis; Linda-058 managed to hold off the armigers long enough to allow both teams aboard the Pelican, extract Linda, and allowing 031 Exuberant Witness to open a Slipspace portal to transport both teams to Sanghelios. Their Pelican exits near Sunaion, and they regroup with Thel 'Vadam's Swords of Sanghelios, Spartan Sarah Palmer and Doctor Catherine Halsey in Nuusra. Both teams are informed that one of Sanghelios's hemispheres was completely shut down by a Guardian Custode immediately after Thel's victory against Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, and that same Guardian is enforcing Cortana's law on the planet's other hemisphere after the Sangheili's refusal to allow themselves be subjugated by the Created. Halsey also informs them the managed to escape from Earth, one of Cortana's first targets, and the ship will arrive to the system to extract them the next day. Thel 'Vadam invites both teams to a victory feast, in which John-117 talks alone with Halsey, and share some stories with Thel. At the next day, both teams, Palmer, and Halsey depart to the Infinity, with Thel wishing them luck in the upcoming battle against the Created.

During India 127 ' s flight to the Infinity, they are contacted by Veronica Dare, who authorizes them to land on Portside Bay Five. After arriving, a lieutenant informs them Captain Thomas Lasky needs John-117, Spartan Jameson Locke, Commander Palmer, and Dr. Halsey on Infinity ' s bridge, while the rest of the Spartans go to S-bay to remove their MJOLNIR armors. After spending some time alone together, Dare informs Buck that the Office of Naval Intelligence needs them and the rest of Alpha-Nine for a mission, including Mickey (to act as a liason between the UNSC and the United Rebel Front); at first, Buck refuses to be part of the mission, but after a short conversation with Captain Lasky, he agrees to work with Dare and Alpha-Nine. Dare informs Buck about the mission: investigate and discover how an URF colony named Cassidy III has not been detected by Cortana and her Guardians, even if the other colonies on the system were neutralized by the Created. Buck and Dare departs on Foxtrot 111, a D81-LRT Condor, to Balaho, the Unggoy's homeworld, to recruit Romeo, who was assigned to guard the UNSC embassy on the planet. Upon arriving, they see the Unggoy have accepted Cortana's offer, and Romeo being pinned down in a building by Unggoy and Promethean Soldiers; after rescuing him, Romeo tells them the Unggoy and the Created destroyed the UNSC embassy on Balaho's capital, Gedgow, killing almost everyone in the embassy, and escorting the survivors to Kabakera as prisoners. At Romeo's request, he and Buck ambush the Unggoy escort and manage to defeat their forces, including two Goblins, but the embassy survivors are killed when several Z-1800 Phaetons appear and destroy the vehicles carrying the survivors. Several Promethean forces head to Alpha-Nine's location, but Dare manages to bring the Condor to extract Buck and Romeo, and then they leave the planet.

Alpha-Nine's next stop is an ONI installation on Luna, where the Huragok Quick to Adjust/Vergil and his handler Sadie Endesha were placed after Operation: COALPEPPER. Once arriving at the ONI facility, they discover that Cortana's forces have already seized the base and have taken its occupants hostage. Vergil and the other Huragok are hiding in the ventilation system when Buck and Romeo find them. However, Vergil refuses to leave without Sadie. Buck then makes a detour to where the Promethean Soldiers are keeping the humans captive. Once at the location, Buck secretly has everyone secure themselves to something in the room. Buck then shoots out a viewing window, exposing the room to the vacuum. The Prometheans are ripped out onto Luna's surface, and the emergency shutters close just in time to save the facility workers. Once Sadie and Vergil are reunited, they board the Condor and head to retrieve Mickey.

Behind the scenes
Matt Forbeck finished the first draft of Halo: Bad Blood on the October 19, 2017. On February 15, 2018, Matt Forbeck finished the revisions for the book. On March 25, 2018 Matt Forbeck finished looking over the copy edits for the book.