UNSC Las Vegas

UNSC Las Vegas is a light destroyer of unknown classification in the service of the UNSC Navy during the 25th century. The ship was one of the first postings of the later-Vice Admiral Preston Cole during his early career, and became infamous due to its role in the Callisto Incident - which effectively kickstarted the Insurrection conflict across human space.

Operational history
On March 2, 2494, the Las Vegas, alongside fellow destroyers and, was tasked with patrolling the 26 Draconis system in response to the insurgent capture of the corvette,. At this time, all three destroyers had yet to see combat, with weapons that had never been fired and crews that had never seen combat. Around 0300 hours on March 2, the battle group made contact with the Callisto in the 26 Draconis asteroid belt and proceeded to pursue the stolen corvette. All three destroyers were ordered by Captain Harold Lewis to coordinate fire and arm six of their respective seven Ares missile silos, before opening fire around 0315 hours. While initially considered an easy kill, the detonation of a nuclear weapon hidden in one of the asteroid masses by the rebels in a manner similar to a shaped charge saw the Buenos Aires pelted with radiation and debris, taking the brunt of the damage due to its position at the fore of the task force.

The entire bridge crew of the Las Vegas, including Captain Harold Lewis, Commander Rinkishale, and Lieutenant Taylor were killed; with the exceptions of Lieutenant Jorgenson, who was left unconscious and wounded, and Second Lieutenant Preston J. Cole, who was unharmed. As the last remaining active bridge officer, Cole took command of the Las Vegas in accordance with MIL JAG Order TR-19428-P. Cole then signaled the Callisto, declaring their surrender. However, unbeknownst to the Callisto, he ordered the crewmen to remove Las Vegas' final remaining Ares missile from its silo and transport it to Cargo Bay 5. When the Callisto docked with the Las Vegas at Cargo Bay 5 the missile was fired directly into the corvette, crippling it. Cole then bluffed by opening the missile silos, forcing the Callisto's surrender.

The incident, widely declared a breach of Common Space Law, was viewed as one of the turning points that led to the Insurrection conflict. A feed from External Camera A-4, one of the video recording devices equipped on the Las Vegas, was included in the report Historical/Psychological Analysis of Cole, Preston J. in 2552.

Crew

 * Captain Harold Lewis - Captain
 * Commander Rinkishale - First mate
 * Lieutenant Taylor -
 * Lieutenant Jorgenson - Weapons officer
 * Second Lieutenant Preston J. Cole - Navigation officer

Trivia

 * The Las Vegas is named after the popular resort city located in Nevada, URNA.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole