The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole

The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole is one of several short-stories in Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. The story is a report by Codename: SURGEON to Codename: USUAL SUSPECTS summarizing the life of Preston Cole. Throughout the report, the narrative sometimes shifts to the moment in Cole's life that is being summarized.

It was written by Eric Nylund, bestselling author of Halo: The Fall of Reach, Halo: First Strike and Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.

Plot Summary
The last battle in Cole's career was the Battle of Psi Serpentis, in which Cole led a fleet of one hundred-sixty-two warships against a fleet of over three hundred Covenant ships. The engagement began when Cole's fleet, Battle Group India, exited Slipspace on the far side of the gas giant Viperidae. The Covenant fleet which had assembled there moved to engage the human ships, but Battle Group India split into two parts and attacked the Covenant from both sides of the planet. Tricking the Covenant into splitting their own forces, Cole's fleet quickly regrouped on one side and opened fire at one group of ships. With two thirds of the Covenant group decimated, the alien fleet regrouped and attacked Cole's fleet. Battle Group India scattered across the system, being picked off by the Covenant.

Just then, however, an Insurrectionist fleet led by the Bellicose suddenly exited Slipspace and charged the Covenant ships. The Insurrectionist fleet blew through the Covenant ships, and as suddenly as they appeared, jumped to Slipspace. With only a handful of Covenant ships left, Cole's fleet began to flee the battle; two Covenant fleets, numbering in over two hundred ships, then exited Slipspace to reinforce their other fleet. Cole ordered the remnants of Battle Group India to fall back from the planet, leaving Cole's command ship, Everest, to face the enemy alone. The Everest sped towards Viperidae, powered down all non-essential systems, and opened all missile silo doors.

"Listen to me, Covenant. I am Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole commanding the human flagship, Everest. You claim to be the holy and glorious inheritors of the universe? I spit on your so-called holiness. You dare judge us unfit? After I have personally sent more than three hundred of your vainglorious ships to hell? After kicking your collective butts off Harvest - not once - but twice? From where I sit, we are the worthy inheritors. You think otherwise, you can come and try to prove me wrong. Is that the best you can do? Watch what one unworthy human can do!"

- Preston Cole's last recorded words

Cole beamed an open-com transmission to the Covenant fleet, openly mocking them and questioning their religious superiority. The Covenant ignored Battle Group India and all moved towards the Everest. Cole plunged into the immense gravitational pull of Viperidae, now unable to get back out. The Covenant fired at the ship, but the gravity's interference prevented a kill. Cole taunted the Covenant one last time, then fired everything the Everest had - not at the Covenant, but into Viperidae. The highly unstable planetary core was unable to withstand over one hundred Shiva nuclear warheads, and exploded into a brown dwarf. When the explosion ceased, every Covenant ship, along with Preston Cole and the UNSC Everest, had been obliterated.

After his apparent death, there was speculation that Admiral Cole, after destroying two whole Covenant fleets, might have made a last minute jump into Slipspace. It has also been speculated that he may have found a planet to colonize on, as he always wanted to retire to be a farmer. According to Codename: SURGEON, A.I.s analyzed footage from the Battle of Psi Serpentis, and calculated that there was a 90% chance that Cole survived and escaped in an emergency slipspace jump. Cole was remembered by Humanity as a brilliant military tactician and a symbol of hope, now lost, and the day of his supposed death was designated a day of mourning.