UNSC Everest

UNSC Everest was the flagship of Admiral Preston Cole's fleets during the Human-Covenant War. In 2525, it was the fleet command cruiser of UNSC Battle Group X-Ray, and in 2543, it was the flagship of UNSC Battle Group India.

Background
A Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser, the Everest served as Cole's flagship in battle against the Covenant in the Epsilon Indi, Alpha Aurigae, XI Boötis A, Groombridge-1830, Leonis Minoris, and Psi Serpentis star systems. Following the Battle of Groombridge-1830 in 2530, Subject 386, a Sangheili captive, was interrogated in the Everest's biohazard ward; from this interrogation, Cole learned the reason for the Covenant's war against humanity. Shortly therafter, Cole wrote the first draft of his eponymous protocol.

The Everest was presumed destroyed following the Battle of Psi Serpentis while taking out over 300 Covenant vessels by causing the planet Viperidae, a super-gas giant, to undergo artificial fusion and ignite temporarily as a brown dwarf star. In commemoration of Cole's efforts while in command of the Everest, a painting titled Admiral Cole's Last Stand was hung in HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 in Sydney, Australia, Earth.

Post-war
Codename: SURGEON speculated in his report, Historical/Psychological Analysis of Cole, Preston J., that Cole actually survived the Battle of Psi Serpentis. SURGEON's theory, supported by multiple AIs, was that the ship lost at Psi Serpentis to the Viperidae micronova was actually the, an irreparably damaged cruiser. Codename: SURGEON postulated that Cole used Io as a decoy while the Everest escaped. In any case, the Everest was never seen again.

Trivia

 * The UNSC Everest is probably named after either Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain, currently standing at 8840 m tall, or Sir George Everest, whom Mount Everest was named after.

List of appearances

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