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Preston Cole: Difference between revisions
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===Apparent death at Psi Serpentis=== | ===Apparent death at Psi Serpentis=== | ||
{{Quote|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 [[Reclaimer|worthy inheritors]]. You think otherwise, you can come and try to prove me wrong.|Vice Admiral Preston Cole to the Covenant fleet at Psi Serpentis<ref name="Psi Serpentis">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 476-482''</ref>}} | {{Quote|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 [[Reclaimer|worthy inheritors]]. You think otherwise, you can come and try to prove me wrong.|Vice Admiral Preston Cole to the Covenant fleet at Psi Serpentis<ref name="Psi Serpentis">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 476-482''</ref>}} | ||
The biggest and most crucial battle in Vice Admiral Cole's career was the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]], in which he led a fleet of 162 warships against two Covenant fleets totaling over 300 ships in the [[Psi Serpentis system]]. The engagement began when Cole's fleet, [[UNSC Battle Group India|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. After tricking the Covenant into splitting their own forces, Cole's fleet quickly regrouped on one side of Viperidae 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. As the Covenant moved in to attack, an insurrectionist fleet led by ''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. However, another Covenant fleet, 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, UNSC ''Everest'', to face the enemy alone. ''Everest'' sped towards Viperidae, powered down all non-essential systems, but opened all missile silo doors. Cole beamed an open-com transmission to the Covenant fleet, openly mocking them, questioning their religious superiority, and challenging them to pursue him.<ref name="Psi Serpentis"/> | The biggest and most crucial battle in Vice Admiral Cole's career was the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]], in which he led a fleet of 162 warships against two Covenant fleets totaling over 300 ships in the [[Psi Serpentis system]]. The engagement began when Cole's fleet, [[UNSC Battle Group India|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. After tricking the Covenant into splitting their own forces, Cole's fleet quickly regrouped on one side of Viperidae 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. As the Covenant moved in to attack, an insurrectionist fleet led by ''[[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. However, another Covenant fleet, 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, UNSC ''Everest'', to face the enemy alone. ''Everest'' sped towards Viperidae, powered down all non-essential systems, but opened all missile silo doors. Cole beamed an open-com transmission to the Covenant fleet, openly mocking them, questioning their religious superiority, and challenging them to pursue him.<ref name="Psi Serpentis"/> | ||
The Covenant then ignored Battle Group India and all moved toward ''Everest''. Cole plunged into the immense gravitational pull of Viperidae, now unable to get back out. The Covenant fired at the ship, but the [[Wikipedia:magnetosphere|magnetosphere]] provided enough interference against the Covenant's [[plasma]]-based weaponry and prevented a kill. Cole taunted the Covenant one last time: "''Is that the best you can do? Watch what one unworthy human can do!''" With that, Cole then ordered ''Everest'' to fire all available munitions into Viperidae. The super-pressurized hydrogen inside the gas giant's tightly compressed atmosphere spontaneously underwent nuclear fusion by the one hundred Shiva-class nuclear warheads fired at it, and Viperidae exploded into a brown dwarf. When the micronova ceased, every remaining Covenant ship had been obliterated. The same fate had seemingly befallen ''Everest'' and her commanding officer.<ref name="Psi Serpentis"/> | The Covenant then ignored Battle Group India and all moved toward ''Everest''. Cole plunged into the immense gravitational pull of Viperidae, now unable to get back out. The Covenant fired at the ship, but the [[Wikipedia:magnetosphere|magnetosphere]] provided enough interference against the Covenant's [[plasma]]-based weaponry and prevented a kill. Cole taunted the Covenant one last time: "''Is that the best you can do? Watch what one unworthy human can do!''" With that, Cole then ordered ''Everest'' to fire all available munitions into Viperidae. The super-pressurized hydrogen inside the gas giant's tightly compressed atmosphere spontaneously underwent nuclear fusion by the one hundred Shiva-class nuclear warheads fired at it, and Viperidae exploded into a brown dwarf. When the micronova ceased, every remaining Covenant ship had been obliterated. The same fate had seemingly befallen ''Everest'' and her commanding officer.<ref name="Psi Serpentis"/> | ||