Halo: First Strike, the 2003 novel by Eric Nylund, follows the Master Chief after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and bridges the events of Halo and Halo 2. Floating in Halo's debris field, Cortana and the Chief discover that there are in fact other human survivors [REF].
The Master Chief returns as one of two playable characters in Halo 2, the 2004 sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved.