Preston Cole: Difference between revisions
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
m (→Sources: Category:Human -> Category:Human characters) |
m (link cleanup) |
||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
Originally born on a small farm on Earth,{{Ref/Reuse|birthinfo}} Cole eventually enlisted in the UNSC Navy and quickly accelerated through the ranks after his graduation at the [[Luna OCS Academy]]. As the Insurrection began, Cole was hailed as a hero throughout human space by the Navy as he led numerous battles and campaigns against [[insurrectionist]] and [[pirate]] forces. However, after beginning a relationship with [[Lyrenne Castilla]]—a rebel leader, unbeknownst to Cole—he was relegated to a desk job for the rest of the war, where he eventually retired and faded into relative obscurity.<ref name="he453">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 453-457''</ref> | Originally born on a small farm on Earth,{{Ref/Reuse|birthinfo}} Cole eventually enlisted in the UNSC Navy and quickly accelerated through the ranks after his graduation at the [[Luna OCS Academy]]. As the Insurrection began, Cole was hailed as a hero throughout human space by the Navy as he led numerous battles and campaigns against [[insurrectionist]] and [[pirate]] forces. However, after beginning a relationship with [[Lyrenne Castilla]]—a rebel leader, unbeknownst to Cole—he was relegated to a desk job for the rest of the war, where he eventually retired and faded into relative obscurity.<ref name="he453">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 453-457''</ref> | ||
However, after the Human-Covenant War begun in [[2525]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] elected to have Cole lead [[Battle Group X-Ray|a battle group]] against the Covenant at [[Harvest]], leading to Cole's victory at the [[Battle of Harvest]]. For the following decades, Cole led numerous campaigns against the Covenant with moderate success.<ref name="enc72">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 72'' (2011)</ref> In [[2543]], at the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]], Cole was presumably killed after he caused [[Viperidae|a gas giant]] to go nova to destroy a massive Covenant fleet. Nonetheless, some UNSC officers believe that Cole survived the battle and choose to privately retire away from the UNSC.<ref name="p486">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 486-487''</ref> | However, after the Human-Covenant War begun in [[2525]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] elected to have Cole lead [[Battle Group X-Ray|a battle group]] against the Covenant at [[Harvest]], leading to Cole's victory at the [[Battle of Harvest]]. For the following decades, Cole led numerous campaigns against the Covenant with moderate success.<ref name="enc72">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe]]''', ''page 72'' (2011)</ref> In [[2543]], at the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]], Cole was presumably killed after he caused [[Viperidae|a gas giant]] to go nova to destroy a massive Covenant fleet. Nonetheless, some UNSC officers believe that Cole survived the battle and choose to privately retire away from the UNSC.<ref name="p486">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 486-487''</ref> | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
===The Covenant War begins=== | ===The Covenant War begins=== | ||
{{Quote|This first encounter with the aliens is a test—for them and us. So far we have failed that test. We have to show them that we cannot be so easily defeated. We have to win no matter the cost.|Vice Admiral Preston Cole, in a personal log written on [[2525#November|November 15, 2525]]<ref name="he462">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 462''</ref>}} | {{Quote|This first encounter with the aliens is a test—for them and us. So far we have failed that test. We have to show them that we cannot be so easily defeated. We have to win no matter the cost.|Vice Admiral Preston Cole, in a personal log written on [[2525#November|November 15, 2525]]<ref name="he462">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 462''</ref>}} | ||
In [[2525#February|February 2525]], the UNSC lost contact with the Outer Colony of [[Harvest]] and [[Battle Group 4]] was dispatched to the [[Epsilon Indi system]] to discover the reason for loss of contact. Upon arriving at the system, the battle group quickly discovered that Harvest had been [[Glassing|glassed]] by the alien [[Covenant]]. The battle group was [[First Battle of Harvest|attacked]] by [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'' and only the badly damaged {{CMAShip|Heracles}} was able to return to Reach with word of the incident.<ref name="for117">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 117-126'' (2010)</ref> In response to the alien [[Human-Covenant War|threat]], Central Command moved to create a battle group of forty [[warship]]s to retake Harvest. Cole was ultimately selected by CENTCOM to lead this force; a "fallen hero" that lived a scandalous retirement, Cole served as an easy scapegoat if CENTCOM's counterattack on the Covenant failed. Additionally, Cole was considered to be a brilliant commander during the Insurrection that was willing to sacrifice himself and anyone under his command to complete his task.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 458-460''</ref> On [[2525#November|November 2, 2525]], ONI had Lieutenant Commander [[Jack Hopper]] and Lieutenant [[Demos]] visit Cole and convince him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the Navy, Cole was given command of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] in [[2525|December of 2525]],<ref name="timeline">''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 461''</ref> conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}<ref name="enc299">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 299'' (2011)</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 88''</ref> By [[2525#November|November 12, 2525]], Cole had begun preparing himself for the battle by reviewing data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and [[Chi Ceti IV]], and realized that Covenant [[energy shielding]] would prove to be troublesome in battle. With the {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Everest}} serving as his [[flagship]], Cole requested numerous modifications to the cruiser. He ensured that his crew was battle-tested and competent,{{Ref/Reuse|he462}} and [[artificial intelligence]] [[Sekmet]] was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on ''Everest''.<ref name="he465">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 465''</ref> | In [[2525#February|February 2525]], the UNSC lost contact with the Outer Colony of [[Harvest]] and [[Battle Group 4]] was dispatched to the [[Epsilon Indi system]] to discover the reason for loss of contact. Upon arriving at the system, the battle group quickly discovered that Harvest had been [[Glassing|glassed]] by the alien [[Covenant]]. The battle group was [[First Battle of Harvest|attacked]] by [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'' and only the badly damaged {{CMAShip|Heracles}} was able to return to Reach with word of the incident.<ref name="for117">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 117-126'' (2010)</ref> In response to the alien [[Human-Covenant War|threat]], Central Command moved to create a battle group of forty [[warship]]s to retake Harvest. Cole was ultimately selected by CENTCOM to lead this force; a "fallen hero" that lived a scandalous retirement, Cole served as an easy scapegoat if CENTCOM's counterattack on the Covenant failed. Additionally, Cole was considered to be a brilliant commander during the Insurrection that was willing to sacrifice himself and anyone under his command to complete his task.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 458-460''</ref> On [[2525#November|November 2, 2525]], ONI had Lieutenant Commander [[Jack Hopper]] and Lieutenant [[Demos]] visit Cole and convince him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the Navy, Cole was given command of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] in [[2525|December of 2525]],<ref name="timeline">''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 461''</ref> conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}<ref name="enc299">'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 299'' (2011)</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 88''</ref> By [[2525#November|November 12, 2525]], Cole had begun preparing himself for the battle by reviewing data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and [[Chi Ceti IV]], and realized that Covenant [[energy shielding]] would prove to be troublesome in battle. With the {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Everest}} serving as his [[flagship]], Cole requested numerous modifications to the cruiser. He ensured that his crew was battle-tested and competent,{{Ref/Reuse|he462}} and [[artificial intelligence]] [[Sekmet]] was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on ''Everest''.<ref name="he465">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 465''</ref> | ||
[[File:Outcome of Second Battle of Harvest.png|thumb|250px|right|Cole's victory over the Covenant at Harvest.]] | [[File:Outcome of Second Battle of Harvest.png|thumb|250px|right|Cole's victory over the Covenant at Harvest.]] | ||
