Preston Cole

Template:Human Character Infobox Admiral Preston Cole was a UNSC Naval officer during the Human-Covenant War. He is best known for his role in creating the Cole Protocol, a central UNSC law of the Human-Covenant War.

Biography

Battle of Harvest

In 2531, Cole, who was a Vice Admiral at the time, led a task force to retake the Harvest System during The Battle of Harvest, after the UNSC Heracles returned to Reach, badly damaged from first contact with the Covenant. During the ensuing battle, he lost two thirds of his fleet and only achieved "victory" through a last minute tactical inspiration. The system was lost nonetheless.[1] The decisive advantage of the superior Covenant convinced him to issue the Cole Protocol.

The Outer Colonies

Cole returned home to discover that he had been promoted to Admiral and branded a hero for his victory at Harvest. After Harvest was lost, he set out to defend the rest of the Outer Colonies. Despite his strategic brilliance, the Covenant won simply because of their overwhelming numbers and superior firepower. From 2531 to 2535, Cole's fleet met defeat after defeat, until most of the outer colonies were destroyed by 2535.[2]

Trivia

• Admiral Cole's fate is unclear, though in Halo: First Strike a painting entitled "Admiral Cole's Last Stand" is described. This could possibly be a depiction of the events that led to his death.

• The Cole Protocol was an effective law of the United Nations Space Command up until October 20th, 2552 when the Covenant found Earth during the First Battle of Earth.